2019: Buhari will be absent from presidential debate– Saraki

Senate President, Bukola Saraki has revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be available for the presidential debate billed to hold on January 19, 2019.

The President has been scheduled to battle the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and three others in the debate.

But speaking in Abuja on Thursday, the Saraki predicted that Buhari will not attend the debate.

Saraki spoke at an event where the presidential candidate of Atiku was billed to address some Civil Society Organisations, CSOs.

He, however, noted that any President seeking to lead the country should be able to come forward and tell the people what he wants to do for them.

He said, “I am told that one has debated and you already know the answer to that debate. On the second one, I am very sure he is not going to debate. So how do you assess somebody who is not ready to tell you what he is going to do?

“Those days are gone, my good people. The future of this country, a country that leads the continent that is not the example we want to set for this continent.

“The whole world is going in a direction, if you are seeking a position, you must come and tell people what you want to do, you must sit down and they will ask you questions and that is why we are here.

“Today is your day, we will sit down and take questions. I hope at the end of this exercise, you will stand up and say yes, this is the team that will secure Nigeria; this is the team that will unite Nigeria; this is the team that will fight the poverty in town and bring a bright future”.