Campaigns for the 2019 general election have commenced in line with the provisions of Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act, as amended. That section states that “the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.” According to the timetable for the elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), political parties have a timeframe spanning August 17, 2018 and February 28, 2019 for electioneering activities.
The process was kick-started by publication of notice of election for national and state elections on August 17. Collection of nomination forms by political parties for national and state elections commenced from August 11. Party primaries for the presidential, governorship, federal and state legislative elections were conducted between August 18 and October 7.
The timetable further had it that campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on November 18 and December 1 for governorship and state Assembly elections. Campaigns for presidential and National Assembly elections are expected to end on February 14, 2019, while campaigns for the governorship and state Assembly polls will end on February 28, 2019. Consequently, the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, February 16, 2019. The governorship and state Assembly elections will hold on Saturday, March 2, 2019.
While the Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC has kept faith with the schedule for the elections, the campaigns, which are gradually gathering momentum, have so far been characterised by name-calling and propaganda. There is no doubt that Nigerians are yet to witness a departure from the past as it has been the usual smear campaign.
Though mudslinging is not new to the country’s politics, most Nigerians are however of the consensus that the campaigns should be issue-based as the country is presently faced with a myriad of problems. It is incontestable that there is lack of bond between the over 350 ethnic nationalities that make up the country, which informs the call for restructuring to save Nigeria from disintegration. There is also the argument that the unitary constitution/system of government presently in place under the guise of a federal system has not guaranteed political stability needed for development. Besides the agitation for true federalism, the rising state of insecurity, systemic corruption, poverty and infrastructural deficiencies, lack of credible electoral process, inept leadership of state institutions and processes across board, autonomy for the federating units, state police and even the new minimum wage, among several others, are salient issues that need to be addressed and the campaigns offer a veritable platform for robust debates on these issues.
It is against this backdrop that we align with other stakeholders to insist that the various political parties and their candidates must run campaigns devoid of violence, hate speeches, character assassination, inflammatory comments and fake news. Heating up the polity is an ill-wind that will blow no one any good, while campaigns enriched by positive ideas and actions will unite Nigerians in a common democratic debate.
We, therefore, insist that the parties and their candidates must play by the rules. Civil society groups and the citizenry should also speak out for policies that advance the good of all Nigerians and speak out against violence, misinformation, and hate speech. We also advise Nigerians to seize the opportunity of the campaign window to interrogate the candidates for the various elective positions on the feasibility of their respective manifestoes. Questions should be asked on their plans and programmes to tackle the country’s socio-economic developmental challenges as it is clear that it is not lack of resources, human or natural, that is responsible for Nigeria’s underdevelopment, but ineffective leadership.
The campaigns should focus as much as possible on what to use the power for, not just how to get to power as what creates the best democratic processes at the end of the day is a situation, where politicians offer their services to the people and not the other way round. The candidates should go beyond the rhetoric of campaign promises of job creation and provision of infrastructure by outlining policy positions for reform in terms of amendment to existing policies or enactment of new ones.
This will give an idea of priorities in the event they get elected. We also warn that the campaigns should not be an opportunity to return the country to the dark era of political killings. To this end, the relevant security agencies should live up to their responsibilities and ensure a hitch-free period of votes canvassing. INEC, on its part, should realise that it has a critical role to play. The umpire should go beyond cautioning political actors against hate speech in their campaigns by ensuring strict compliance to the provisions of the Electoral 2010 (as amended) as the nation cannot afford a relapse on the appreciable gains it has so far recorded in its electoral process.
END
Be the first to comment