Nigeria Election Debate Group: DoKpesi must be probed, says Integrity Group

A pressure group,Value and Integrity Group, yesterday called for the probe of  how the founder of the African Independent  Television (AIT)  Dr.Raymond Dokpesi runs  the  Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG) .

The group branded NESG as a one man show and   partisan organization.

The group,in a statement in Lagos said that whereas NEDG was incorporated on April 27,2011  with six organizations as shareholders, “Dokpesi has turned the NEDG into a private estate put at the service of the President Jonathan and his party members.”

The  supposed shareholders, according to the pressure group, are: Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria represented by Mallam 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; and TMG represented by Moshood Erubami.

It alleged that other directors are completely in the dark about the financial transactions of the NDEG.

It said: “This of course is in total violation of one of the 8 Memo/ Articles of Association  for NEDG that stipulates that the NEDG will organize and promote and host independent civil non- profit, non-political, non-partisan open debates.

“Dokpesi’s name does not reflect in the NEDG registration documents from the CAC only that of DAAR representative, Tony Akiotu.”

Dokpesi,it added, “went ahead to single handedly organize the 2011 election debate with AIT staff-Amoni Amarere and Nancy Ilo as moderators.

“Again, he is the one solely organizing the 2015 presidential election debate for the NEDG which has become an  appendage of the Jonathan presidency and at the service of the PDP.

“The NEDG is clearly in the pocket of Dokpesi. Presented to the unsuspecting public as a non-partisan body, the NEDG is fully partisan in favor of PDP.Dokpesi, a very close friend of Jonathan, once jostling to be chief of staff has put NEDG at the disposal of the ruling party, PDP.”

Value and Integrity Group said the refusal of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate,General  Muhammadu Buhari to participate in the NESG debate  has “thrown some spanners in the works,” adding: “for his refusal to attend Buhari, APC and its leaders have come under severe attacks on AIT news programming and defamatory documentaries.”