2019 Election: INEC suggests candidates should be subjected to debate

The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has stated the importance of debates among candidates running for political offices in 2019. He spoke while delivering a speech titled, ‘The role of media in the Nigerian electoral process,’ at the 69th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria in Lagos during the week.

According to the INEC boss, debates are a vital part of the democratic process as they helped to guide the decision of voters.

He said, “as a key player in the Nigeria Elections Debate Group, it is appropriate that BON and its members, in consonance with the practice in advanced and developing democracies, should remain in the forefront of efforts to institutionalise the practice of debate among candidates seeking political office in Nigeria. Such debates are necessary for deepening democracy by promoting civil discourse and providing a platform for candidates to articulate their positions on public policy issues. They also allow the public to judge aspiring candidates for political office under pressure and evaluate their arguments in competition with other candidates.

He added that “debates also serve an important role of demonstrating to the aspiring candidates that democracy is about standing before the public and answering their questions.”

The INEC chairman also called on the media to help the commission tackle the threat of fake news and hate speech which could undermine the electoral process or heat up the polity.

Comments

Kenyan Law Court dismisses case of man seeking compensation after his wife eloped with another man from hospital

A lawsuit filed by a man seeking to be compensated by St Mary's Mission Hospital in Kenya for allowing his wife to leave the hospital with another man after giving birth, has been struck out by a law court. The appellant had sued the St. Mary's Mission hospital at Kakamega law courts in 2020 seeking general damages from the facility on grounds that the hospital had discharged his wife and allowed her to leave with another man. After delivering and at the time of discharge, the wife of the appellant claimed he was the baby's father. The court of appeal judges Patrick Kiage, Mumbi Ngugi and Francis Tuiyott sitting at the Kisumu Court of Appeal, empathized with the man, but disagreed that he (the appellant) be compensated by the hospital for not detaining his wife. They upheld the lower court's judgement which added that there's no remedy that lies in the law for such grievances. Kiage said; "I agree that if a man takes the woman he loves to t...

Hurricane Hits Texas, One Person Reported Dead

Hurricane Harvey hit Texas as a Category 4 storm on Friday, battering the coast with 130-mph winds and torrential rain. It was the strongest hurricane to hit the United States in more than a decade leaving a massive destruction, loss of electricity, wrecked buildings and has so far killed at least one person. Scroll down to see more pictures of the incident:

Togo prime Minister Komi Klassou resigns

Togo’s prime minister and his government have resigned, the West African nation’s presidency said late Friday. President Faure Gnassingbe congratulated prime minister Komi Selom Klassou and his team for their “economic, political and social efforts and the encouraging results despite the health crisis around the world”, a statement on the presidency’s official website said. Togo has been due for a political reshuffle since Gnassingbe was reelected in February for a fourth term in office, but changes were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s election win, which came after a constitutional change allowing him to run, extended more than a half-century of dynastic rule over the former French colony by the Gnassingbe family. The victory was disputed by the main opposition challenger, who has faced official harassment in the wake of the vote. The president has led the country of eight million people since taking over in 2005 following the death of his father Gnass...

BAMY BLOG

Search This Blog