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By Fred Edoreh

Early this morning, Arise TV announced that it is holding a debate by 7pm this same day for the Governorship candidates of the top political parties in Delta.

It has been revealed that the notice for the debate scheduled for March 15 was conveyed to parties on the evening of March 14.

The PDP promptly replied to explain that the leading and Deltans most preferred candidate, Rt Honourable Sheriff Oborevwori, would not be chanced to attend due to earlier scheduled activities for the day but that he has offered to attend if the debate can be shifted to another date before the elections.

Curiously afterwards, Arise and the APC went to town with their usual weak and worn propaganda, blackmail, and deceit.

The very fact of the propaganda being distilled from the invitation shows clearly that the debate was ill-conceived, ill-motivated, and ill-intended. This was given testament to by the fact that the letter by the PDP delivered to Arise TV by about 12:49pm on Wednesday was immediately sent to the APC camp and by 1:15pm it was on display on social media.

More curious was even for the moderator to claim during the debate that the letter was hurriedly written in the course of the debate. Such attitude and expressions, being not only discourteous but patently partisan speak volumes about their orchestration.

Aside all that machinations, if indeed the organisers are serious-minded and the debate was well intended, why did they not convene it before March 11, the first scheduled date for the elections?

Why would the organisers expect that just by the flick of their fingers every candidate should answer to them?

How can a serious organisation make an invitation for a debate just a day to the date of the event?

Who fixed the date? When was the date fixed? Did the expected parties agree to the date before it was fixed?

Who were supposed to be the moderators? How and when were they determined and chosen? Did the parties concur with the choices?

What were the ground rules for the debate? Who fixed the ground rules? Did the parties agree to them?

The truth about debates is that they are carefully planned to the consent of parties.

By the way, if the elections had been held on March 11 what would have been the essence of the debate?

Why were these standard procedures not followed? Why was the process of the arrangement not transparent nor open?

It must be said that each candidate plans its own electoral strategy and, after the postponement, Oborevwori adopted a strategy in which the hurried debate is not part of because it was not earlier mooted.

It is those that run their affairs by mob and brigandage that subscribe to such arrangements that lack diligence and transparency.

The time is far gone when things are done unprofessionally and anyhow. It is only anyhow people that accommodate anyhow things.

Oborevwori is a highly organised, meticulously diligent person and cannot be pushed around by the whims or sense of entitlement or wishes of just any group of persons who feel they can do things anyhow and others must flow with it. That is not what Delta wants.

Oborevwori has sold his manifesto to Deltans, Deltans have widely accepted him and we meet at the polls.