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Austin Uganwa
Message contents and presentation are two key elements that distinguish one candidate from another during political rallies. The appropriate application of message structure tinged with delivery competence shoot a candidate far ahead of his political rivals, by impacting positively on the candidate’s chances of expanding his support base and victory windows. Political campaign messages therefore have to be persuasive, engaging, issue-based and downright; and delivered in the most efficient fashion for enhanced results.
The above insight evidently lies at the heart of the rallies organised across the 27 local government councils of Imo State by Emeka Ihedioha, the People’s Democratic Party governorship candidate, towards selling his candidature to the Imo voters. Ihedioha’s campaign message structure at the rallies has been manifestly rich in contents, flow, sequence and penetration instructive of a politician who is adequately prepared and has the right message for a fitting audience, using the correct form of presentation.
However, in advanced democracies and even the emerging ones, message contents and power of delivery define electioneering and other public rallies. In the Unites States, for instance, civil rights activists, Martin Luther Jnr and Jesse Jackson relied on the power of speech to get Americans buy into their civil rights leading roles and vision of ending racial segregation in the United States. The amiable Abraham Lincoln who became the first US President on the platform of the Republican Party in 1860 reached his political peak on account of power of speech. This manifested in his classical and timeless definition of democracy as “government of the people for the people and by the people,” which informed Henry Ketcham’s description of Lincoln “as a man of wit, humour, passionate oratory and inspiring leadership.”
Similarly, Barak Obama’s political pre-eminence gathered rare momentum following the distinctiveness of his keynote address during the 2004 national convention of his National Democratic Party. His inspiring message at the convention to the admiration of his party faithful and indeed other Americans amazingly propelled his political career into becoming the first black American president.
On the Nigerian scene, the founding fathers of Nigeria politics such as: Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe; Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the leftist and fundamentalist, Aminu Kano held the political firmament spellbound given their sagacity, eloquence, exceptional message delivery at political rallies. This development intrinsically endeared them to many and accordingly attracted many political fans to them.
However, the list of politicians of yore who had unparalleled command of issue-based public speaking included but not limited to: Chuba Okadigbo, Fourth Republic Senate President; Chief Kingsley O. Mbadiwe, Second Republic Adviser to President on National Assembly Affairs; Senator Uba Ahmed, national secretary to defunct NPN; J.S. Tarka, leader of the Middle Belt during the First and Second Republics and a host of others.
Similarly, Emeka Ihedioha, the PDP standard bearer in Imo State and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, fits into the rare class of politicians with issue-based message and great power of delivery. His speeches at the rallies ahead of the March 3, 2019 governorship elections in the state are eloquent testimonies. Some of the elements that have evidently been fascinating the crowd during his campaign tours leaving them captivated include the efficient message contents, downright language choice and his lively, people-oriented , revolutionary and insightful approach of presentation
Like the witty politicians of yore with unique political message to sell, Ihedioha’s message woven around his vision and goal to rebuild Imo flows inimitably from the thesis to the anti-thesis and finally the synthesis as his voice rises and falls in flawless harmony. The tuneful traditional songs he usually blends his message intermittently with impels the masses largely into the rally as they chorus the song with unreserved excitement
At campaign rallies, Ihedioha would first of all present the thesis, the programmes being embarked upon by the current Governor Rochas Okorocha. Shortly after, he would establish the anti-thesis; the many flaws, conflicts, predicament, frauds and deceits inherent in the programmes being put in place by Okorocha. Consequently, he would then provide the synthesis: the alternative programmes he has designed to move Imo forward when elected governor. This he has been undertaking on sectorial basis.
Take education sector as a case study. His submission is that education system has been grounded because of shortage of facilities, tools, science equipment and staffing. With proven statistics, he establishes that out of 548 secondary schools in the state, Mathematics and English teachers are grossly inadequate, with each subject boasting of less than 120 teachers. The same, according to him applies to Physics and Chemistry with lower than 130 instructors respectively. Imo students’ performance rate in external examinations, according to him, has dropped down to 46 percent from 75-80 percent prior to Okorocha’s administration.
At the rallies, Ihedioha also informs Imo people that his solution to the education crisis in the state include, establishment of Imo Education Trust to promote free and qualitative education; massively retrain, reorient and motivate existing teachers and recruit new ones in so doing cutting teacher-student ratio to at least 1/40. On good governance, he submits in clear and unmistakable terms that his administration would introduce due process, openness, transparency and accountability; establish a policy Advisory Council to advise government on policies and projects, ensure the existence of democratically elected local government councils and the enthronement of the principle of separation of powers
On health sector, Ihedioha observes that the hospitals in the state are in dire need of drugs, facilities, technologies and consultants. He wants to correct the anomalies by administering integrated health care system that boasts of reinforced primary healthcare system, rehabilitate and re-equip the general hospitals, procurement of residency programmes in all branches of medicine and promotion of diaspora investment healthcare.
Dr. Uganwa, university teacher, writes from Owerri.
