The Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State has expressed strong opposition to Channels Television’s decision to limit the upcoming governorship debate to candidates from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The party described this move as misguided and unrepresentative of the political landscape in the state.
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In a statement issued on Saturday, Prince Olu Johnson Egbodofo, Director of Publicity for the Labour Party Campaign Organisation, condemned the organizers for designating the APC and PDP as the two leading candidates in the election.
He claimed the debate was designed “with a view to manipulate the choices of the people, ever used to determine participation.”
Egbodofo elaborated that the LP had previously alerted the organizers to this error, which they had promised to rectify, but no changes have been made.
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“The attention of the Labour Party and its candidates in the Ondo State Governorship Election scheduled for the 16th day of November 2024 has been drawn to an advert by Channels Television of its planned live debate on Sunday, 3rd November 2024, for candidates of the ruling APC and PDP, which Channels ill-advisedly described as ‘the two leading candidates in the election,’” he stated.
He noted that as a media-friendly organization, they reached out to Channels, particularly Seun Okinbaloye, the debate’s anchor, urging them to use their media platform responsibly and ensure a fair representation of all political parties and candidates.
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Egbodofo pointed out that Chief Olusola Nehemiah Ebiseni, the LP’s gubernatorial candidate, contacted several Channels officials on October 25. “Seun Okinbaloye expressed regrets for the exclusion of the Labour Party and promised to make amends throughout the week,” he said, explaining that due to these assurances, they had refrained from pursuing legal action against the compromised debate.
He emphasized that previous gubernatorial debates organized by Channels have included at least three candidates, asserting, “At no time was the subjective and unfair terms of ‘leading candidates’ used to determine participation.”
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Egbodofo further stated, “For the avoidance of any doubt, the Labour Party is the first political party since 1999 to have been voted two terms and administered Ondo State from 2009 to 2017, in which outstanding Government Chief Olusola Ebiseni and Adedayo Awude were its Governorship and Deputy Governorship candidates in this election.”
He added that the LP is the immediate predecessor of the current APC administration in Ondo State and is one of Nigeria’s largest political parties today, countering the narrative presented by Channels.
“We wish to let the world know that our party and candidates are available for this debate, even at this eleventh hour. We are still skeptical that Channels will lend itself to the deliberate rigging of the Ondo State Governorship Election by pre-judging the capacities of political parties and their candidates,” he concluded, urging Channels to uphold its reputation and reconsider the structure of the debate.
