The Lagos State governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Rotimi Odunaike, has protested his exclusion and that of several other candidates from the governorship debate organised on Sunday by the Debate Consortium.
The consortium comprises TVC, Channels Television, The PUNCH and Vanguard newspapers.
In a statement on Monday, Odunaike said the exclusion of several candidates from public debates ahead of the 2027 Lagos governorship election raised concerns about fairness, transparency and the media’s role in promoting an informed democratic process.
He questioned the decision to feature only four of the 17 governorship candidates, despite the number of political parties and candidates contesting the election.
The debate featured candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), African Democratic Congress (ADC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Odunaike said his team had made several attempts to secure his participation but was informed that the selection was restricted to the four candidates.
“After subsequent persistent effort, we were told that my exclusion was due to a perceived lack of media visibility, a position that does not reflect my recent heightened media appearances and engagements, including on leading platforms such as ARISE TV, Channels TV, MiTV, Nigeria Info, NTA and Jimi Disu’s Timeless podcast, among many others across offline and online channels,” he said.
The Labour Party candidate described the development as part of a pattern, recalling a similar experience at The Platform Nigeria’s Gen Z and Millennial Town Hall in Lagos on 1 October 2026.
According to him, his attempts to secure a place at the event were unsuccessful, with organisers reportedly informing his team that the four participating candidates had already been selected.
He questioned the criteria used to determine which candidates were invited and why the same four political parties were repeatedly represented at public political forums.
“Why only four out of 17 candidates? And why the same four candidates? What criteria determine who gets invited and who gets excluded?” he asked.
Odunaike argued that the issue went beyond his personal exclusion, describing it as a matter of fairness to all candidates and the electorate.
He said public debates should provide voters with opportunities to hear different ideas, compare political programmes and assess those seeking their mandate.
“Public debates should expand democratic participation, not narrow it. They should give Lagosians the opportunity to hear different ideas, examine competing programmes and make informed assessments of those seeking their mandate,” he said.
While acknowledging that debate organisers might have practical considerations when determining participation and format, Odunaike insisted that their selection criteria should be transparent, consistently applied and defensible.
He suggested that media organisations and organisers should invite all candidates recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), allowing them to decide whether to participate.
The LP candidate also argued that media visibility should not be used as a subjective requirement to exclude candidates, particularly when public debates provide an opportunity for them to engage voters and showcase their programmes.
With three months to the governorship election, he noted that political parties and candidates were still developing their campaigns and engaging stakeholders.
Odunaike called on media organisations, debate organisers and other institutions hosting election-related public forums to adopt more open, fair and inclusive selection processes.
“Lagosians deserve to see and hear all the options available to them. They deserve the opportunity to assess the candidates and decide for themselves. No credible democratic process should pre-empt that choice or unfairly limit their right to make it,” he said.
