Federal and State government financed) to all
intents and purposes have been neutral in terms
of granting level playing ground to various
political parties through airing parties'
manifestos, ideologies, and other core political
parties' jingles relating to parties' bedrock and
objectives. But you know, there must always be
some ills and biasness from very few privately
owned media houses and government owned
ones, which of course should be over-
emphasized and be taken as the unethical
achilles' heel, critically requiring regular scrutiny
and regulations to impede such unethical
practice.
In this electioneering period, all political parties
(including All Progressive Congress) have had
their campaign advertorials aired as and when
due depending on their financial strength and
capabilities. No report whatsoever has been
heard concerning an unaired but paid-for-
advertisements. This shows that the media
agencies around the nation have been equal to
the task, to deliver to Nigerians all paid-for
services.
As a concerned citizen and politically conscious
Nigerian, i have queried to know
comprehensively the basis to which the APC
heads stood on to exclude and deassociate their
Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates
from the 2015 Presidential and Vice Presidential
Election Debate being organized by the
Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON) and
other relevant media agencies and groups.
We have read statements credited to the APC
stating that the organizers of the debate is
associated to the ruling party, the PDP. They
have also "threw 'acerbic' stones" at the
organisers of the debate for having unhidden
bias and campaign of calumny by some key
organisers of the programme against the
corporate political interest of the party and its
candidates. What alibi have we not heard and
read from the APC to "throw in their hands" in
the debate.
This debate is a televised event which requires
no trophy or crown, but obviously would clout
masses choice of ship which would board them
for the 2015 to 2019 political odyssey. How
come this fear of biasness and presumed
calumny by the APC?
Are the panelists having hidden agenda to dish
out to the PDP or even Kowa party candidates
different questions from that of the APC? This is
possible in theories and practically impossible.
Even if such hokum should rear its ugly head, the
audience are sitted in the hall for objections and
the citizens also would glue to their television
and radio sets ready to "cock a snook" for such
conspiracy.
I watched the debate of the Vice Presendential
candidates and could not trace any biasness or
any form of character destruction whatsoever.
Some intellectuals even criticized the cheap and
easy questions devoid of real issues facing the
nation, asked by the debate organizers. (of
course, some candidates needed no diplomatic
obfuscations to answer such questions). One may
ask, what then is the difference between the
Chatham House speech and the election debate
in Nigeria? Ok! the former was actually scripted?
Let me not bother about that for now.
How can the electorate who majorly do not have
high standard cable-network equipments get to
watch the Chatham House jamboree?
Is this a thing of worry to APC? or is that not
headache enough to palliate? Well, it is down
here, the people want to know what each
candidate has in bulk for them. I know that the
campaign rallies of the two major political
parties were staged in most capital cities of
various states. That glaringly means that the
rural nigerians were once again shut out of the
developmental blueprints of their political
parties.
If the APC truely want the CHANGE they preach,
they should not be on all these political jaunts,
offering speeches and what have you, which have
little or nothing of value to add on the poor
Nigerians that have no television-decoders to
view such forums in international platforms.
Take this CHANGE mechanism to the streets,
take it to the slums, take those party blueprints
to the common citizens that need them. Let the
nooks and crannies of Nigeria feel the zeal for
CHANGE. For sure, we need this CHANGE, but
the preachers and the preaching techniques have
not been desirable and germane.
For my money, if the PDP must relinquish
power, APC must give them a good run for their
money, and that is when the APC "punch their
tickets".
Let me remind APC and their faithfuls that the
Nigerian Election Debate Group comprises the
Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigeria Union of
Journalists, the Alliance for Credible Elections,
ACE, among others. Does it appear that all these
bodies are anti-APC or Buhari? If that is the case,
even a new born baby would advise APC to take "
a bite at the cherry" to assess their 'true' selves,
because, all is not 'white'.
PDP have not lived up to expectations and the
people want options - strong option in that
sense. You are then becoming quasi-option if you
shy away from these people.
A stitch in time they say saves nine.
The closer APC get to the people -- to give them
hope, the more they "work like a charm" and
reclaim Aso Rock Villa.
Let them be the CHANGE they want.
Show Nigerians the CHANGE the party aspirants
are canvassing for.
We are Nigerians, not Londoners.
A WORD IS ENOUGH FOR THE WISE.
Let me apply brake for another day.
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