Debate is an opportunity to put the 'politics and personalities' of potential leaders in Nigeria to test

"Debates afford candidates the opportunity to provide informative, concise summaries of their major policy positions and view points in a single evening"-Benjamin Knoll

Today election should be a contest not coronation. Election is a very important process of establishing a sound government to address the collective challenges of the country. Debate is very essential for democracy in Nigeria, to enable ordinary people access the quality of of the people that want to govern them. What we are witnessing is a scenario where leaders are imposed on the people through party politics with little or no idea about their politics and personalities.  Live debate should be a requirement for elective positions in Nigeria if we truly want democracy to thrive. We learnt debate is not a legal requirement for participation in election in Nigeria, there is urgent need for a new legislation to make it compulsory for those seeking elective positions to take part in live debate in front of the viewing public so that people can directly access and compare the ideas of the men and women who want to govern them. This has become very important especially in a new era of certificate forgery which has become a common feature of our local politics. We have just written a new blog post advocating the need for our politics to embrace modernity and global best practices, live debate has become the cornerstone of politics in advanced societies where the politicians are keen to face the viewing public with their key policies for evaluation. Live debate offers voters the opportunity to scrutinize candidates who has the potential to deliver, not just big claims to continue business as usual. The Modern age requires decent people with good education, experience, and expertise, solid track record in both the private and public sector including good knowledge of global affairs. Those aspiring for leadership positions should have independent mind, ideas and good policies not the ideas of god fathers seeking for personal gains; their families and associates. Live debate is one sure way for political leaders to identify with a wider audience instead of narrow demands of the party leadership which is one of the root problems of stagnation. Live debates is one sure way to guarantee competitive contest needed to ensure greater citizen engagement, transparency and accountability. Political debates have the tendency to eliminate vote buying now deeply embedded in our political culture and unnecessary damage to election institutions and the reputation of the whole country. No doubt, this can contribute to 'efficient institutional controls' and open and transparent government' in Nigeria. Live debates are educational. According to Benjamin Knoll; "debates afford candidates the opportunity to provide informative, concise summaries of their major policy positions and view points in a single evening". In his words; "research has shown that voters learn from debates. After watching a single debate, viewers are more accurately able to describe the platforms of the candidates and this often prompts them to seek out additional information about the candidates"- The Advantages and Disadvantages of Modern Presidential Debates, Hoffington Post October 02 2012. Debate is one sure way to give voters a real choice, and help them ascertain a candidate that actually understands local needs and can deliver even under pressure.

Uche Okeke is a Statistician, Social Entrepreneur, the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation and the Author of Nigeria's Democracy And Its Crisis Deliberate, Avoidable-'Bribe & Bullet'. What Can Be Done About It

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