Nigerian politics is hard to navigate as a young person and not knowing how to ask politicians the burning questions you have makes it more complicated.
This is why Citizen has partnered with Daria Media to present this year’s version of The Candidates. If you are wondering what this means, we’ve got you.
Daria Media is run by Kadaria Ahmed, a seasoned journalist with decades of experience covering important issues, even in Nigeria’s political space. She has been moderating Presidential Debates and town halls since the 2011 elections.
Kadaria Ahmed [Image source: DNB]
Ahead of the 2019 presidential election, she created The Candidates, an election special town hall meeting for presidential candidates and their running mates to elevate election conversations to issue-based conversations.
With the 2023 elections around the corner, The Candidates is here again but the best part is that we are working with them to ensure that young people are part of the process — asking the right questions and engaging with the presidential candidates.
When will The Candidates begin?
The Candidates will start on Thursday, November 17 and will run till Wednesday, November 23, 2022.
Citizen will bring live updates of the conversations to you through our social media pages and you can ask questions directly that six presidential candidates and their running mates would answer.
There’d be six presidential town halls and seven other remote shows, with leading national commentators hosting these conversations before each town hall.
Fact checkers will also be on ground so no one gets away with telling us lies.
So, who are the candidates?
The Candidates 2019. [Image source: Premium Times]
The top six presidential candidates are expected to take part. Here is the schedule:
Prince Adewole Adebayo and running mate, Alh. Yusuf Buhari, of the Social Democratic Party – November 17, 2022.
Mr. Omoyele Stephen Sowore and running mate, Barrister Haruna Garba Magashi, of the African Action Congress Party (AAC) – November 18, 2022.
Sen. Rabiu Musa Nwankwaso and running mate, Bishop Isaac Idahosa, of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) – November 19, 2022.
Mr. Peter Obi (CON) and running mate, Dr. Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, of the Labour Party (LP) – November 21, 2022.
Alh. Atiku Abubakar and running mate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) – November 22, 2022.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and running mate, Sen. Shettima Kashim of the All Progressives Congress Party (APC) – November 23, 2022.
How can you participate?
The town hall debates will be happening across six remote locations in Nigerian universities. There’ll be live interactive audiences in Maiduguri, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Kano and Abuja who will also take part in the live town hall series.
An audience of 100 people for each town hall is expected. This is an opportunity for you to hear directly from the candidates and ask them important questions about their plans for you. If you’d like to be a part of the audience, fill the form here.
What else should you know?
If you’d like to learn more about The Candidates, Citizen will be providing exclusive coverage for the duration of the town halls.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok for more information. You can also follow @TheDariaMedia on Twitter and Facebook and @dariamediang on Instagram.
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