BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA
The 2023 general election has taken a paradigm shift from the pedestrian and rather mundane campaign strategies of publicly buying, eating and selling corn, pure water, and frying beans cake, popularly called Akara, by political parties’ candidates or their supporters to something more elevated and academic. Before now, the candidates were seen on the streets and in rural areas mingling with the downtrodden during the campaign in their bid to prove to them that they are part of them. They employ this method to curry the electorate’s favour as they canvass for votes from them.
This campaign strategy was in vogue, especially in the last two electioneering campaigns of 2014 and 2019. However, the ongoing campaigns for the 2023 elections have shifted from these methods to that of seeking to know if the candidate was talking facts or tripe by fact-checking their claims.
Candidates and their supporters have now been coerced by the youths, who suddenly got interested in the processes, to cross-check the facts of every claim or statistic given by their opponents in the course of the campaign so far.
These youth use social media to influence the new campaign strategy which every political party and candidate is involved in. Curiously, they deny that the method cannot influence the outcome of the 2023 general election when in fact, they are all neck deep into the use of social media in a bid to influence people for their candidates.
Recently at Arise News Television’s town hall meeting with the presidential candidates which was honoured by the Labour Party’s candidate, Peter Obi; Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar and New Nigeria People’s Party’s candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the major focal point was on cross checking the facts of every statement by each candidate.
Social media was awash with the reactions of supporters of various candidates and political parties either for or against the claims or statements made by the candidates.
It was the reason a social media influencer, on her twitter handle @MissPearls rose to the defence of Peter Obi by posting “the Arise TV fact-checkers have published their findings from the Arise TV town hall series of the same night which cleared Obi of giving factual statistics.
Reacting, a seasoned political analyst, Val Igwebuike, said the trend of campaigns was a result of the advent of the former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi in the race.
He said the LP candidate brought innovations that turned around the nation’s politics and forced candidates to abandon their old ways.
“The coming of Peter Obi into the presidential race has tremendously turned around our political road map. Before now, as you rightly pointed out, the candidates would have been flooding the streets to either buy and eat roasted corn, or drink pure water they will buy from a child of the downtrodden who would not be in school because the parents could not afford their school fees or their wives would have joined a woman frying Akara by the roadside to assist her.
“All these were nauseating but that was all we could get from them then because whether with or without the people’s votes, they would emerge victorious at the polls. But the reverse is the case now in that their pretenses can no longer deceive anyone. Moreover, with the assurances from the INEC Chairman that people’s votes will count, these candidates have no choice but to tell us what they know about the problems bedeviling our country and the solution they can proceed with. In a nutshell, those gimmicks are moribund. This is the era of ICT. Technology has taken everyday activities the world over including Nigeria. Therefore, people are ready to quiz them.”
He disagreed with those claiming that social media will not have any impact on the outcome of the forthcoming elections saying that they are only being economical with the truth.
“That social media has no impact in 2023? Then ask those who are saying so why their candidates employ and pay huge money to social media influencers. Anyone dismissing the role of social media in our present-day politics is living in the past and there is no way you will live in the past and be successful in your endeavours because you cannot cope.
“I want to know, is there any candidate, from the presidential, national assembly, governorship and state’s assembly of all the political parties who is not on social media and who is not employing the services of social media? The answer is no. So, why are they deceiving themselves? Let me tell you, the role of social media contributed immensely to the elimination of those political lies and tricks by politicians and that is why they are not buying Akara and corn on the roadside, because if they do, the kind of posts that will accompany it will embarrass them.”
“I’m sure no Nigerian will be deceived by such antics again. We are waiting seriously for them at the polls come 2023. Anyone who does not have a good plan and programme for us will not enter Aso Rock Villa. Nigeria of 2023 is not Nigeria of 2019”
Johnbull Danladi, a civil servant, said the politicians are very wise. He stated that “they know that hunger is everywhere in the land that is why they are not buying and eating corn and Akara by the roadside because even ordinary Nigerians can’t even afford Akara and corn so if they are buying them they are mocking us.
“I’m sure no Nigerian will be deceived by such antics again. We are waiting seriously for them at the polls come 2023. Anyone of them who does not have a good plan and programme for us will not enter Aso Rock Villa. Whosoever among them that will sincerely convince us not by telling us lies will earn our votes. Nigeria of 2023 is not Nigeria of 2019. Whether they like it or not, every Nigerian is interested in what will be the outcome of the election, who will become our next President, Vice President and others. So, it will not be possible for anyone to be there by deceit.
“Gone are the days people are deceived by these politicians who have nothing to offer. Even if they had come with that buying and eating of corn on the streets, people would boo them. Nobody will celebrate them like before because the majority of us are hungry.”
Deola Benjamin, a staunch supporter of APC Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, said the buying and eating of Akara and corn on the roadside in the name of campaign are no longer in vogue because of the calibre of men that emerged as standard bearers of the political parties. He said nobody should expect Asiwaju to be walking on the streets, searching for Akara or corn to buy.
“Why should Asiwaju do such a thing? What is it that he wants to prove? He has groomed men and women from nobody to somebody. People think they are de-marketing him by saying he empowered agbero people. Who is agbero? Simple, the street urchins but he turned them into great men which are proof that he related to everyone regardless of their status and social stratification.
“It’s because Asiwaju is not doing it, that’s why others are not doing it. So we should be thankful to Tinubu for upgrading our political campaign. I know those who don’t understand what is happening will not accept what I have just said but that is the truth.”
Benjamin, however, claimed that the way people are taking to social media will work contrary in the forthcoming elections because people will be tired of the kind of stories that fly in the social media.
“Before February 25, 2023 Nigerians would have been tired of social media. Those using it as a tool will notice that they have done themselves more harm than good. I join those who said that social media will not influence the outcome of the election. If you notice, people are no longer celebrating the things posted on social media. Even if they want to believe, they will, first of all, do due diligence on them for fact-finding.
We are not gullible. It is here in Nigeria that “seeing is believing” works very well. I can’t say that the Asiwaju campaign team does not use social media. What I am saying is that those who have covered the whole of Nigeria through social media but on the ground have no presence in most states will realise that social media is not a polling station.” He maintained that the only way to get a credible candidate to vote for among the candidates is to question their claims whether statistics or what they claimed to have done in the past for Nigeria and Nigerians.
“I don’t have any doubt that if this is the way to go, Asiwaju and his party will go to bed and have a rest. Even without that, we are cruising home come 2023,” he added.
Meanwhile, a corn seller in Mararaba, the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory, who introduced herself as Mama Gideon lamented that the new trend in the campaign is not favouring those of them who are petty traders.
She said though no politician bought corn from her in 2019, some of her colleagues were lucky.
“I don’t know what they are doing in this election. This is December and the campaign has started but we are yet to feel it. In 2018, some of my colleagues sold corn to politicians. Corn that we sold for N50 they bought N200 or N500. Maybe after the presidential election, they will return to buying our corn on the roadside during the governorship elections. That is my prayer.”
Acknowledging that those things were used by the politicians to deceive the masses, Mama Gideon said “I believe they know that we know what we want. Whether they buy Akara, corn, or pure water, we have opened our eyes. We know who we will vote for. As you see me, I am particular about how my children will go to school, and how we will get food to eat. So, anybody who is ready to do this for us will have our vote. I will not sell my vote,” she assured.
