There are many Nigerians who are waiting to hear the "Presidential Debates"- where the whole 14 Presidential Aspirants and their running mates and their parties would come together and debate on their manifesto and plans for the election and beyond..
Yess.. There are so many of us..
These nigerians, as you may know, are not listening to the bloated poetry that are constantly being recited at the political campaigns, neither do they listen to any propaganda being peddled by any of the parties.
They are just neutral, and are patiently waiting for the Presidential Debates before they can decide whom to vote for..
These nigerians are expecting that very tough "issue-based" questions would be asked at the debates; and that it would only take "aspirants with good plans for the nation", and aspirants that can quickly come up wit solutions at critical situations to answer such unprecedented tough questions..
These Nigerians are not interested in whatever questions that might be asked at the debates. They are only interested in the answers that the aspirants would provide.
I am one of such nigerians..
So, if any candidate or party misses out of the debates, it means that they won't be considered by these set of "neutral" and "yet-to-decide" Nigerians.
We the yet-to-decide Nigerians would consider only the candidates that we heard.. Yes.. We would only consider the candidates that would boldly come out to defend their manifesto at the debates..
To the best of our knowledge and by what we have already read about the debates, the debates are supposed to be issue-based and not propaganda-driven..
We are going to vote for the candidate whose answers to questions moved us the most.

I will listen to de debates.. And only after the debates that I would decide.. I beleive that it would be the time the parties would trash-out all propaganda and set all records straight.. It would be the time they would all explain the things they have been blowing in their campaigns with respect to what is obtainable in our country.. It would be the time we see all of them the way they truly are.. It would be the only platform where all the parties and their aspirants would come together and be answering questions to issues face-to-face, and no more casting insults.. Even if they decide to stoop so low as to casting insults at the debates,, it would still be "face-to-face"..

Check out the campaign pattern of americans.. They go to campaign grounds to answer questions raised by the citizens.. They don't go there to recite over-painted manifesto.. A manifesto that is too good to be true would not survive the questions that the citizens would raise, and it would be a serious point against the candidate. So, they have to be careful in what they are promising.. Only in Nigeria would canditates try to win votes by over-painted promises.. And quoting outrageous figures, just to win votes.. A debate is an avenue with which to test the adequateness of the manifesto