Spokesperson for Dr. Bawumia’s 2024 campaign team, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has announced that Dr. Bawumia will only participate in the upcoming presidential debate organized by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) if former President John Dramani Mahama also participates.
According to him, Dr. Bawumia has long indicated his readiness to have a debate with the leading opposition flagbearer, hence if the debate is set, he will be willing to participate.
Answering to whether they will only participate if John Mahama will also be standing the debate he told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News on Citi FM, “When you watched the US debate on CNN, was there a debate amongst any other candidate, apart from the Democrat and the Republican? There were only two people, and there’s a reason why” he said.
Miracle Aboagye believes that for any candidate or political party to participate in such debates, they must earn and must have done some work to earn their place at such kinds of debate.
“And that is why, in even advanced democracy, you always have, usually the leading candidates actually going into this debate. I mean, what will be the point? If you can debate yourself, and if the opposition leader doesn’t make himself available, then I don’t know whether there’s actually a debate in this election” he emphasized.
The IEA recently announced that the first and second presidential debates are scheduled for October 22 and November 19, 2024, respectively.
In a statement, they disclosed plans for two presidential debates, one vice-presidential debate, and five evening encounters ahead of the December 7 polls.
The vice-presidential debate is slated for November 5, 2024. The first of the five evening encounters will take place on Wednesday, September 18, with the final one scheduled for Tuesday, October 15.
