Eight tins to know as 2023 election campaigns officially begin

By Victor Ezeama and Kareemot Salami

Campaign for di 2023 general election for Nigeria don officially begin afta di Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) fix 28 September, 2022 as date for campaign to start ahead of di February election.

Di Electoral Act for di kontri say make campaign officially start six months to di election.

Ahead of di campaign political parties don begin set dia council wey go coordinate dia campaign.

Christian Njigwum, wey be political analyst go later explain why political parties dey set up campaign council for us.

"If Inec no give approval nobody fit start campaign. E dey against di law and di commission get power to sanction any party wey default," di analyst tok.

Experts for say di 2023 election for Nigeria go be a three legged race between di ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP)

Political parties don also begin dey set up dia campaign council.

All 18 political parties get presidential candidates for di 2023 elections wey Inec don approve.

PDP Presidential campaign council

Akwa Ibom state Govnor Emmanuel Udom go serve as chairman while Govnor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state be Director General of dia presidential Campaign Council.

Di list also get Govnor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State as Vice Chairman of di Campaign Council for South while Governor Bala Mohammed na Vice Chairman for di Northern Region.

Odas na; Former Cross River state governor, Liyel Imoke Former Chairman of DAAR communications, Chief Raymond Dokpesi Former chairman of di party, Dr Okwesilieze Nwodo and Prof Adewale Oladipo.

But twist dey as Rivers state Govnor Nyesom Wike and some of im supporters pull out of di PDP Presidential campaign council.

Na sake of say dem want di current chairman of di party, Iyorchia Ayu to resign and give way for an acting chairman from southern Nigeria.

On Wednesday 21 September, 2022 afta one meeting for Port Harcourt dem make announcement for Port Harcourt di Rivers State capital.

Oga Wike supporters na Govnor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, Benue state Govnor Samuel Ortom, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu, former Govnors of Cross River and Ekiti states Donald Duke and Ayo Fayose among many odas.

APC Presidential campaign council

APC don also release di list of almost five hundred members wey occupy different committees wey go handle di campaign of di presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

James Faleke, Secretary of di presidential campaign council for di statement sign di document announcing di council.

Na President Muhammadu Buhari be di Chairman of di campaign Council, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu na di Deputy Chairman.

Abdullahi Adamu na Deputy 2, while Kashim Shettima na Vice Chairman.

Di party appoint Plateau state Govnor Simon Lalong as di Director-General of dia campaign council – dem also appoint ogbonge lawyer and current Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo as di tok-tok pesin of di campaign.

Former APC Chairman Adams Oshiomole na di Deputy Director General, Operations.

Sen. Godswill Akpabio , David Umahi and Badaru Abubakar, and oda APC govnors dey di list.

But di party don postpone di inauguration of dia council afta complain come out say some names no dey di list.

Wetin be di work of campaign council?

Campaign na di period wen politicians dey tell di pipo wetin dem go do wen dem enta power.

Oga Christian Njigwum for interview wit BBC Pidgin say campaign council dey carry big responsibility.

Though voting na everi body responsibility, campaigns dey target different groups and dem dey use different style and language for dem.

E say wetin dey make members of campaign council dey plenty na sake of wetin di political party wan cover.

"At di presidential level dem need to plan to cover all di 36 states of di federation and at di state level dem need to cover all dia local goment areas.

"Na those tins dey determine how di council dey be," di analyst tok.

Di aim na to target voters wey fit give di political party and di candidates votes dem need to win election.

Njigwum also say campaign councils dey also give chance to non-politicians to involve sake of policy documents.

E say, "di truth be say campaign council dey play important role for election period becos political parties and dia members no fit handle am alone. Dis na why dem dey get different committees wey dey handle different tins."

'Issue-based campaign'

Senator Dino Melaye, tot-tok pesin for di Atiku Presidential campaign organization say di PDP don ready to begin sell dia candidate to Nigerians.

"Even though some pipo go wan turn di campaign to comedy we ready for dem. But di main tin wey we fit assure Nigerians be say our campaign go be about issues wey dey affect di pipo and di kontri," oga Melaye tok for interview.

E say, "we don ready to hit di streets, di roads houses and communities for dis kontri. Even some of doz leaders wey dey vex don begin work for dia states already.

"I wan assure Nigerians say PDP go only concentrate on issues. We no go allow pipo wey don commercialise dia conscience to distract us."

'Di issue of structure to win election'

Di Presidential council of Nigeria ruling party say na structure dem dey use win election for di kontri.

Festus Keyamo SAN, wey be tok-tok pesin for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu campaign say APC get wetin dem need to retain power.

"Na two tins we go tell Nigerians; first na about di personality of our candidate. We go remind dem of wetin e do for Lagos. The second one na di platform wey e go take contest, APC. We go tell Nigerian wetin APC don do.

"Na structure dey win election. We go rely on di same structure wey win election for president Buhari to do am again for APC for 2023."

Oga Keyamo say di party know say dem need to dey patient wit young pipo wey no know di presidential candidate well.

As at wen we dey publish dis tori, Labour Party neva set up dia campaign council.

Meanwhile, Nigeria election body Inec don tok say dem go monitor political campaigns to make sure say parties no break di law.

Christian Njigwum di analyst also say as tins be for di kontri, make di parties focus on wetin dey pinch Nigerians and tok how dem go take address am.

Weda Nigerians dey interested for di campaigns na anoda mata but pipo go dey watch and wait to hear wetin politicians wan tell dem as di election dey draw near.

Social media campaign, youth engagement and misinformation

In di run-up to di 2023 election, Nigerian youths don become very active ontop social media.

Bifo di official start of campaign, plenti youth especially influencers don dey use dia social media handle to root for dia favourite candidate.

Di wan wey seem to be di favourite for di social media loving youth na di Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.

Some top politicians don dey quick to tok however say Obi no get di structure to win outside social media, but 2023 go tell.

Di youths wey make up most of Obi supporters don also continue to dey ginger to make dia voices heard and to sell dia choice. Dem don organise rallies and lead thousands to enta street to show off for Obi.

One of di downside to di social media campaign though na also di rise of fake news.

Example be one video wey bin mislead pipo say di world richest man Elon Musk adopt Peter Obi.

Na BBC misinformation unit debunk dat one through fact check.

'Campaign of insult on pesin and not issues'

In di build up to di election and even before campaign start officially, we don already see as politicians across party don begin dey tackle demsefs.

Former Aviation Minister Femi Fani-Kayode and PDP politician Senator Dino Melaye make news recently wen tackle each oda for days ontop social media.

Dis wan deviate from section 92 of di Electoral Act, 2022, wey make di commission to expect say political campaigns suppose dey civil, no abusive language and no hate.

But Nigeria election campaign dey mostly characterised by personal attacks and not di issue wey dey ground and politicians.

Ontop dis one, Libourous Oshoma wey be human righst lawyer say e no expect say dis year campaign no go different as most pipo no dey focus on issues wey dey face us.

E say before now, candidates suppose don begin engage di pipo to tok about issues. But e say wetin we get instead be sentiments, insults, and odas. No candidate don tok wetin dem wan do about di problems wey dey.

E say most times politicians fit tell pipo say make dem vote one candidate sake of say for example e dey speak beta English abi e dey mobile.

E add say wetin Nigerians suppose expect during campaign be say make e dey free from personal attacks, insults, marketing and odas.

Campaign period, boom period for merchandise

Campaign period for Nigeria be one wey many pipo dey look forward to. Dis na sake of say na dat time politicians dey spend money to buy items like water snacks, food, drinks stationaries and odas.

Printers mostly dey see big boom for dia business activities.

Dis na sake of say political parties go print banners, posters, T-shirts, Caps etc.

One Alabi Masur wey be oga of Almansur prints for Shomolu area of Lagos, one popular printers hub tell BBC Pidgin say campaign period dey favour dem wella.

E say printing work dey witness more dan 500 percent increase for di period.

Oga Alabi add say even pipo wey no be printer by profession but just dey stay di area dey benefit as dem dey engage dem for jobs like packing, counting arranging and odas.

"Those ones too dey make beta money sake of say work too plenti and many options dey to choose from, everybody dey make money directly or indirectly" Mansur tok.