Edo guber election: APC, PDP re-iterate commitment to issues-based campaigns

Tony Osauzo, Benin

Shortly before the APC and the PDP, the two main political parties participating in the‎ in Edo State gubernatorial election commenced their campaigns, (though APC is yet to officially flag off), our sister title, the Sunday Sun published a report wherein the two parties committed to issue-based campaigns.

The idea is to enable voters make informed choices of the parties to cast their votes for, based on their assessment of the manefestoes and the programmes the parties have on offer.

‎But so far, some of the contents and messages coming out of the campaigns, have fallen short of the parties earlier undertakings. The campaigns are filled with name-calling, mudslinging and outright insults and personal attacks.

This is not‎ what the voters want to hear. They want to hear how the parties intend to make positive changes that would bring about improved condition of their living standards!

The two parties need to rein in their supporters in the social media to refrain from insults and personal attacks but concentrate on selling their candidates and their programmes to the electorate.

Notwithstanding, the APC ‎and the PDP, have again re-iterated their commitment to issues-based campaigns.

“As a party, we are insisting on issues-based campaigns. You notice we are talking about reform, we are showcasing our report cards, the things we are doing. It is the opponent that is going on with other issues, attacking the governor.

“At times, we are forced to react. But officially from our campaign office, there are some things that we feel are frivolous and we do not bother reacting but at the same time, we cannot control the social medial space because 99 percent of people there, they are not working under our handle. They are reacting to what they hear and you cannot tell people not to react when they hear a party campaigning and talking of lion and tigers. People must react to that because scare tactics, intimidation, is not the strategy.

“We are appealing to our opponent to desist from such scare tactics. You cannot say you are unleashing tigers and lions on the people you want to head, people will react but if you notice, PDP has changed its style and all we are doing is to assure Edo people that they are protected by the law, they are protected by the governor, and nobody should intimidate us or intimidate them and that they should go out on September 19 in their numbers to endorse Obaseki for the second time and that no amount of intimidation should stop them‎”, the State Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chris Nehikhare, told Daily Sun in Benin.

But the State Chairman, APC Media Campaign Council, John Mayaki, said “The opposition has tried to focus the campaign on the issue of ‘Godfatherism’ and a semblance of state capture as a way to discredit the bid of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as the collusion of power-hungry overlords seeking to regain control of the State for personal benefits. The idea is to portray Obaseki as a pitiful victim of a grand conspiracy designed to force him out because he won’t part with the resources of State.

“However, to a great degree, that has been quashed with the multi-pronged approach of relentlessly promoting the SIMPLE agenda manifesto of POI which positions him as the only candidate with a clear-cut plan and ideas of what he intends to do in office, while also framing the opposition’s attempt to shift the focus of the campaign to other political matters as an admittance of a lack of achievement or manifesto.

“In promotions of the SIMPLE agenda, we have focused on impassioned issues with broad appeal across all demography and where the failure of the incumbent is too glaring to be debated such as: Security, Jobs Creation and Education.

“The online series and other media strategies have also set the pace and placed POI in the driving seat – a development that possibly drew a reaction, leaving Obaseki to trail with his now unveiled MEGA plan.

“Furthermore, Obaseki’s attempt to draw sympathy has been poked with excessive media coverage on his vicious harassment of aides in a bid to force them to switch parties, dalliance with thugs and other criminal groups, and schemes with the PDP involving billions of state funds”, he said.