Labour Party Faults Channels TV for Excluding Its Candidate from Ondo Governorship Debate

The Ondo State chapter of the Labour Party (LP) has criticised Channels Television over its decision to invite only the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to a scheduled political debate ahead of the November 16 governorship election.

In a statement issued on Saturday by Johnson Egbodofo, Director of Publicity for the Labour Party Campaign Organisation, the party described the exclusion of its candidate, Chief Olusola Nehemiah Ebiseni, from the debate as “misleading and politically injurious.”

Channels TV had announced that APC’s Lucky Aiyedatiwa and PDP’s Agboola Ajayi would feature in a live gubernatorial debate on Sunday, November 3, referring to them as the “leading candidates” in the upcoming election.

“The attention of LP and its candidates has been drawn to an advert by Channels TV of its planned live debate on Sunday... which Channels TV ill-advisedly described as the two leading candidates in the election,” the statement read.

LP Challenges Channels' Credibility

Egbodofo noted that the party had made efforts to reach out to the media outlet since October 25 to correct what it described as a biased representation. “Several officials of Channels TV expressed regrets for the exclusion of LP and promised to make amends,” he stated, explaining why the party delayed legal or public action against the programme.

He further reminded the public of the Labour Party’s strong historical and political relevance in Ondo State, stating that the party was the first to be elected for two consecutive terms, governing the state from 2009 to 2017 under former Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

“The Labour Party is the immediate predecessor of the present APC administration in Ondo State and one of the largest parties in Nigeria today,” the statement added. “Our candidates, Chief Olusola Ebiseni and Adedayo Awude, are available for the debate—even at this eleventh hour.”

A Call for Inclusion

The LP’s statement concluded with a call for fairness and journalistic balance, urging Channels TV not to use its platform to shape political narratives unjustly.

“We took immediate steps to contact Channels and its officials not to use the station’s authoritative media status to mislead but to accord the people of Ondo State and its global audience the opportunity of fair assessment,” the party said.

As campaigns continue in the run-up to the November 16 election, the LP’s protest adds to ongoing conversations around media responsibility and political inclusivity in Nigeria’s democratic process.