The Nigeria Election Debate Group, NEDG, has
organised presidential and vice presidential
debates since 1999, but fresh claims have
emerged questioning the independence and
partisan nature of the group.
The debates, the final lap of the series of
debates organised by the NEDG, is holding on
March 22, according to the organisers.
But there have been allegations that the group
is actually a one-man show run by Raymond
Dokpesi, the Chairman of DAAR
Communications Limited (owners of Africa
Independent Television, AIT), who uses it as a
bargaining tool for private gains and political
advantage.
When it was incorporated in 2011, the NEDG
listed six organisations as shareholders, each
with a representative.
They include Broadcasting Organisation of
Nigeria, BON, represented by Abubakar Aji;
DAAR Communications, represented by Tony
Akiotu; Nigeria Union of Journalists,
represented by Mohammed Garba; Alliance for
Credible Election represented by Emma Ezeazu;
Nigeria Guild of Editors, represented by Gbenga
Adefaye; and Transition Monitoring Group,
TMG, represented by Moshood Erubami.
At a press conference on Friday in Lagos, a
pressure group, Value and Integrity Group,
accused Mr. Dokpesi of having turned the
NEDG into a private estate put at the service of
President Goodluck Jonathan and his Peoples
Democratic Party.
“Our investigation reveals as follows: First, a
First Bank account was opened for the NEDG
and had Dr. Dokpesi as the sole signatory,
though he is not listed as one of the Directors,”
the group said in a statement signed by Sina
Odugbemi and Popoola Ajayi, Coordinator and
Secretary respectively.
“He also used the DAAR communications office
address, a personal address as the address
listed in the bank account documentation.
These two moves effectively turned the NEDG
into Dokpesi’s private company.”
According to the group, an initial N1 million
was paid into the said NEDG account, and on
March 28th, 2011, another N20 million was
paid into his (Mr. Dokpesi’s) personal account.
“The N20m was paid into his personal current
account number 2017171535 because the
NEDG account opening was in process then
hence he received the N20m in his personal
current account instead of NEDG,” the group
said.
“A text message from Dokpesi to the banker
confirms this. The text message reads – ‘He
sent about N20 million to the account since last
week and I utilised about N50 million for the
NEDG DEBATE. As soon as the sponsors pay, I
will pay in.daar'”
The group, brandishing copies of Mr. Dokpesi’s
bank account opening documents and NEDG’s
certificate of registration at the Corporate
Affairs Commission (CAC), also said that Mr.
Dokpesi tried to open another First Bank
account in 2012.
“The First Bank account was opened by Dokpesi
at the Maitama branch of the First Bank in
Abuja with account number 2021069251 with
Chief Raymond Dokpesi as sole signatory to the
account with the help of his aide banker.
“The second account which Dokpesi equally
instructed the banker to open in the Bwari
branch of the First bank is pending to be
opened because the banker left. However,
before then, Dokpesi in fact signed the
application forms, attached his passport photos
entered his personal details in 2012. The
account was yet to be approved before one of
the manager handling it was eased out of the
bank.”
‘Sole organiser’
The NEDG began organising election
presidential debates in 1999 and describes itself
as a coalition of broadcast organisations, civil
societies and professional groups committed to
entrenching enduring democratic cultures
through organised television debates.
“The Nigerian Elections Debate Group has since
transformed into a broad based non-partisan,
non-profit making organisation with the
primary mandate of organising and hosting live
televised debates for all Presidential, Vice
Presidential and Gubernatorial candidates in
Nigeria,” the NEDG stated on its website.
But in their press briefing on Friday, the Value
and Integrity Group described the NEDG as the
non-profit wing of DAAR Communications,
available to do the bidding of the ruling party
and which had kept other NEDG directors in the
dark about their financial transactions.
“An Organisation on the board of the Group,
Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), had last
year dissociated itself from the planned
Presidential debate. TMG accused the
organisers of the debate of fraudulently using
its name in the promotion of the event and
warned NEDG to desist from such shenanigan
forthwith.
“Chief Dokpesi’s name does not reflect in the
NEDG registration documents from the CAC
only that of DAAR representative, Tony Akiotu.
But Chief Dokpesi has opened the account in
his name and went ahead to single handedly
organise the 2011 election debate with AIT
staff – Imoni Amarere and Nancy Ilo as
moderators.
“Again, he is accused to be the sole organiser
of the 2015 presidential election debate for the
NEDG which has generated unpleasant
credibility crisis for the NEDG.
“It is alleged that for the 2015 debate, well over
250 million has been paid to the organisers by
the Presidency.
“Unfortunately, the refusal of the leading
opposition to attend the integrity deficit
presidential debate, AIT has chosen to
unprofessionally attack and even defame both
the candidate and the party.”
In January, the All Progressives Congress said it
would not participate in the presidential debate
organised by the NEDG, accusing the organisers
of bias and “wearing the toga of government
control, especially being composed mainly of
agencies and allies of the incumbent PDP
administration”.
The parties involved
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr. Erubami,
who was the Chairman of TMG when NEDG
was incorporated, he said issues like that did
not arise during his time at the helm of the civil
society organisation.
“I only know to the extent of the time I was
chairman of Transition Monitoring Group, but I
have completed my time and I’m now at
Ibadan, I don’t know anything about the group
again,” Mr. Erubami said.
“If you want to confirm the veracity of what
has happened you can contact the current
chairman in Abuja.”
Ibrahim Zikirullahi, the current Chairman of
TMG, was more forceful in his response,
accusing the NEDG of lacking integrity and
being involved in ‘shady deals.'”
“While I cannot authoritatively say whether
Dokpesi is the only sole signatory, I will also say
that the claims (of the Value and Integrity
Group) are not far from the fact,” Mr.
Zikirullahi said.
“I became chairman of Transition Monitoring
Group in July 2012, till date, nobody informed
me that TMG is a member of the Nigeria
Election Debate Group, neither my predecessor
nor those that are holding fort at the Nigeria
Election Debate Group.
“Between 2012 and now, there was no meeting
that was called upon which to deliberate on
any issue regarding Nigeria Election Debate
Group until now when I saw our name being
floated in the media that we are one of the
organisers of the presidential debate.”
Mr. Zikirullahi accused the NEDG of using
TMG’s name to send out proposals to foreign
donors seeking support for the presidential
debate.
“So as far as I’m concerned, I don’t know
anything about the debate. No phone call has
been made to me or to any of my officers, no
written invitation, and there is no meeting
between us in which we agree on the mode
and scope of the debate,” he said.
“So for me I cannot allow them to be using our
corporate identity. It was on that strength that
I wrote to them asking them to stop forthwith
using our corporate identity.”
Mr. Zikirullahi said that he had it “in good
record” that the NEDG had already collected
billions of naira from a political party.
He declined to name the party.
“Yet, to make it credible they are just sending
out proposals to donor agencies, and those
donor agencies we have a very good
relationship with them. And before they do
anything that they see our name they need to
verify from us.
“And it was on that stretch we got to know the
extent to which they have gone to. If not they
should mention the source of their funding,”
said Mr. Zikirullahi.
“A lot of shady things they are doing that is not
known to the public, and I said under my
regime we cannot be part of that hidden
agenda. It’s better they come out open let us
know the direction they are going, let us know
the source of their funding?
“Who is running the secretariat? How is the
board being appointed? From 2011 till now
there is no meeting that has been called. So it’s
just a one man show, I can agree especially, it
is a product of AIT and Dokpesi and so for us
you have to count us out at any time we are
not part of it.”
‘It’s not true’
Eddie Emessiri, NEDG’s Executive Secretary,
dismissed all the claims, accusing Mr. Zikirullahi
of dabbling into partisan politics.
“High Chief Raymond Dokpesi has no hand (in
NEDG), or let me put it better, High Chief
Raymond Dokpesi was even the founder of this
whole thing because he started election debate
in 1999,” Mr. Emessiri said.
“By the time NEDG was formed, a group of
organisations now decided to get this thing
over, and he handed the management over to
Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, BON.”
Mr. Emessiri explained that the chairman of
BON at any particular time was the Chairman
of the Board of Trustees of the NEDG.
According to him, the headship of BON is
rotated between the three federal government-
owned media of Nigeria Television Authority,
NTA; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria,
FRCN; and Voice of Nigeria, VON.
The current head of NEDG, Sola Omale, is the
Director-General of NTA.
Before him were Taiwo Alimi of VON and
Abubakar Jijiwa of FRCN.
“The only thing Raymond Dokpesi does, or used
to do, or even now is simply we contact him
and tell him please we need airtime, we want
to do this, and he’ll just give his final approval,
ask his Group General Manager, Tony Akiotu, to
give us every support that we require,” said Mr.
Emessiri.
“And that is why they have given us airtime to
carry everything, all their stations anywhere
they are we want to advertise anything. And
they are the hub of the production.
“Raymond Dokpesi does not even attend our
meetings. How then can they say Raymond
Dokpesi is the person who directs NEDG.”
Mr. Emessiri denied claims that Mr. Dokpesi
was a signatory to NEDG’s bank account.
“I am the Executive Secretary of the
organisation, I manage the bank account and
the bank account is Zenith bank. Come to
Zenith Bank, Area 7, Abuja, and find out. That
is the only account that we have,” he said.
“The First Bank account was the account that
they ran many many years ago and we don’t
use that anymore. It was at the very beginning
when Raymond Dokpesi founded the
organisation, even before 2003. We never used
that in 2007, we never used that in 2011, not to
talk of now.
“We moved over to Zenith Bank when the
chairmanship of the organisation went to VON.
And VON also has account in Zenith bank, that
particular branch.”
Mr. Emessiri insisted that the NEDG had been
having meetings, adding that TMG was part of
the group but he doesn’t know “what got into
the head” of Mr. Zikirullahi, its current
chairman.
“He didn’t look through the books he had to
know that the former chairmen of TMG were
full time members of NEDG and present in
every of our meetings. This man has taken over,
because he has a bent on politics he started
criticising.”
PREMIUM TIMES also contacted Mr. Dokpesi,
who vehemently denied all the claims,
particularly the allegation that he collected
billions from a political party on behalf of
NEDG.
“Which politician ever gave me money? Which
politician ever gave me money?” he asked.
When told that some newspapers had already
run the story on how he was using the NEDG as
a private estate, Mr. Dokpesi said he had not
seen the publication yet.
“I’m in Edo North at this point in time. Election
is next week, I’m busy in my senatorial district
so I do not know what you are talking about,”
Mr. Dokpesi said.
“But you say there is a publication, they can
publish anything they want. Before they invited
you to a press conference I’m sure they already
had what their considerations are.
“NEDG is a group that started the debate in
1999. DAAR Communications and I have
always wanted a debate in Nigeria since 1999.
Almost single-handedly, it is part of our
budget.
“In 1999 when we held the debate in Lagos all
the media people (that) are existing how did
they contribute? When we held in 2003 was it
not the same DAAR Communications that
funded it? When they held in 2007 was it not
DAAR Communications that supported It?
When they did in 2007, did they not see It?
“Why is this one the particular one that is now
an issue?”
Asked if he carried other board members along
in NEDG’s activities, Mr. Dokpesi responded,
“What do you mean whether I carry? Who do I
have to carry? Mr. Gentleman, understand that
there is a chairman, NEDG, in the person of
Aremu Taiwo Alimi. There is a chairman Board
of Trustees of the NEDG, that was Jijiwa but it’s
now DG of NTA. They have their Board of
Trustees, what is my role in It?
“I have no problem. I know that…. Who are
these Integrity Group? Who are they made up?
Mr. Dokpesi also denied the claims that he
single-handedly ran the account of the NEDG.
“So why don’t you find out, they have an
Executive Secretary of NEDG, whether I know
anything about the account?
“I have no apologies. I can understand. I’ve
told you I’m in Edo north at this present time.
“Whatever is the issue it is good, if the fear of
Raymond Dokpesi is the beginning of wisdom
now, may God Almighty help Nigeria.”

Source: http://saharareporters.com/2015/03/22/controversy-allegations-“shady-deals”-rock-nigeria-election-debate-group

I believe jamb is also sponsored by PDP, because it is the same question they ask all candidates.

trying so hard to discredit NEDG.
the easiest job on earth is being the opposition.
you can easily reel out promises and attack the government blunders.
and you use any avenue and platform that presents itself to project yourself as it is a no brainier job.
but when an opposition aspirant is afraid of debate with a sitting president with many mistakes and blunders and try to accumulate political mileage from such debate...
this scenario doesn't happen..and when it happens,i can categorically say the opposition presidential wannabe is dafter than daft.

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Was NEDG debate the only one Buhari refused to attend?
Channels tv offered to organise one, he refused.
Even PDP asked APC to organise one for GEJ to attend & they still refused.

Shariareporters should please keep quiet with their thrashy junk reports, buhari is afraid to debate.

GEJ till buhari debates.

wakacome:
look at this one,Comparing Jamb to the NEDG debate is like comparing an elephant to a snail.....



Wakacome

Whats the difference? Same questions are asked to everyone, answer based on your knowledge.

So na Dokpesi of AIT dey run things for NEDG? No wonder Buhari boycotted the sham of a session. *hiss*

WisdomFlakes:
So na Dokpesi of AIT dey run things for NEDG? No wonder Buhari boycotted the sham of a session. *hiss*

Debate is like exam. Same questions. The same way they asked buhari what he will do about oil price and he said he will stablize global oil price. The same questions would have been asked other aspirants and they would have answered.

This debate would have afforded buhari the chance to educate himself. To know that u cant stablize global oil price.