Tomorrow, Ondo electorate will go to the polls to choose their 6th Executive Governor as the incumbent’s term ends in February 2013. This will also be the last of the 6 governorship elections held this year, while three more – Ekiti, Anambra and Osun – will hold before the 2015 General Elections.
In Edo’s July governorship election, the battle was between the Action Congress of Nigeria and the Peoples Democratic Party which had the full support of the Federal Government. However, Edo was critical to the ACN as the party was determined to keep its influence in a non-South-West state and Governor Adams Oshiomhole won the vote of the people decisively for a second term in office. While he was congratulated by his PDP opponent and Mr. President, there is still a case in court challenging the result of the election.
In Ondo, the dynamics are slightly different as the incumbent is from the Labour Party, which has no presence at the national level and Ondo is the only state it controls. During the 2011 Presidential Election, Governor Segun Mimiko encouraged Ondo residents to vote for the Jonathan-led PDP ticket. Fast forward 18 months and the PDP has its own candidate in this governorship election, so while 12 parties were cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, it’s really a three-way contest between the ACN, Labour and PDP. The ACN is desperate to control, as said in Nigerian parlance, capture Ondo, which is the only non-ACN state in the South-West; while the PDP would love to get a foothold in the ‘hotbed’ of opposition. A few days ago, a PDP-faction broke away to endorse Mimiko’s candidature. There are various theories of how Labour Party’s support for the PDP last year would affect this month’s election, but it seems only the relevant parties know the truth.
Of the three dominant parties, the accusations and counter-accusations have mainly been between the ACN and Labour. The last few days have witnessed the personal relationship between former Governor Tinubu and Governor Mimiko taking the central stage and the focus has been on Tinubu rather than Akeredolu who is actually running for office. While there have been differences on issues like health, education and infrastructure; they are competing with issues such as insecurity, thuggery, and rigging plans. An interesting example is the issue of party paraphernalia. The ACN’s Director of Media, Publicity and Strategy had raised an alarm last week about reports that the Labour Party was printing ACN t-shirts to perpetrate illegal acts on election day. On Tuesday, during the rally in Akure, the Labour Party chairman asked all members to refrain from wearing Labour paraphernalia on election day as they had information that ACN had produced such materials and planned to cause trouble and then blame members of the Labour Party. He also said they had received reports that the ACN had manufactured NYSC, police and army uniforms and that the INEC and security agencies should take note.
Half way across the world, Americans are preparing to elect another president. The whole world, including Nigerians, are following an election that’s being driven by facts and figures; quotes and misquotes; slip-ups and one-line zingers. America’s democracy continues to evolve yet holds itself up to the world as an example of a system where your track record in public and private office; your words and actions; the words and actions of your associates and your ability to convince the electorate that you understand their issues and have a strategy to deliver on your promises are what elections are about. In Nigeria’s democracy, empty promises; payment for votes; security challenges and the readiness of the electoral umpire are issues that are at the forefront during election.
The American presidential candidates have debated two times with one more to go. After the first debate, GOP’s Mitt Romney gained significant ground in popularity based on his performance. During last year’s Presidential Election, President Goolduck Jonathan’s refusal to show up in multiple debates generated quite a bit of discussion around the culture and usefulness of debates. In a country where 42.1 per cent of those between 15 and above are illiterates, debates definitely won’t win elections, but it’s a necessary culture to develop as it forces those who aspire to elected office to articulate their plans for the citizens they expect to govern. It seems the culture has begun in Nigeria and it is a very welcome development. Following the Edo Debates in July, the Nigerian Elections Debate Group in partnership with African Independent Television also hosted a series of debates in Ondo State. The incumbent, Mimiko, consistently expressed his disappointment with his opponents during the debates that they have not availed themselves of facts in the public domain and in some cases, deliberately misrepresented such facts.
As the culture of debate grow in Nigeria, a parallel market of fact checkers will also develop who will make it quite difficult for candidates to play fast and loose with facts and figures. Fact checking ties in closely with the role that the social media and the Internet currently play in Nigeria’s governance landscape. Of the 12 candidates in Ondo State, only two ACN’s Rotimi Akeredolu and Mimiko (Labour)] have websites where one can actually read their manifestoes and thoughts on issues presented to them. Of course, any incumbent who has performed would be at an advantage in this regard because not only can they talk about what they plan to do, they can also talk about what they have done. Currently, it is party loyalists that trumpet the merits of their respective candidates. While media outlets around the world have particular ideological slants, politics actually clouds a lot of media reporting in Nigeria and very few Civil Social Organisations do the hard work of evaluating candidates and presenting the facts to citizens – literate and illiterate – in a manner in which they can make an informed decision. For example, the state broadcasting service in Ondo State has consistently come under flak during this campaign process for its overt bias towards the incumbent.
So, as we continue to take baby steps with our democracy, a culture of debate; fact checking; issue-based campaigns; reviews and scorecards provided by third parties; and comprehensive and balanced coverage from all elements of the media will increase the information available to citizens which will empower them to vote for candidates of their choice and hold them accountable thereafter.
•Ms. Adamolekun, National Coordinator of Enough-is-Enough, Nigeria, wrote in via yemi@eienigeria.org
Source : punchng[dot]com
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