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I watched the Vice Presidential debate on Ben/NN24 television on Saturday, 12/3/11 attended by three political parties with keen interest. Televised presidential debates have a historical connotation associated with the USA and later replicated in the United Kingdom by the British government. It has its advantages in terms of giving electoral information and political education/agenda to prospective voters and nationals of its country but is not and should not be used as a means to incite violence and division in any country.
The electoral process is an important and essential tool in a democratic society and a means of empowering every citizen to make a choice in the governance of their Country. The process is far from perfect and does not always have the expected or predicted outcome. There have been different safeguards put in place to ensure fair elections, an example of which could be ‘foreign observers’, etc. However, civility demands and expects that outcomes are accepted and respected by all parties and peoples. The reality of the outcome is that there will only be one winner and one party at the presidential level.
It therefore predisposes that if the right electoral outcome is to be achieved the populace needs to be given the opportunity to have access to the right information and message to make a decision. It is evidently every Nigerian’s national right to have this information to make a decision as to whom they want to have governance over them.
If dissemination of electoral information is a necessary pre-requisite and an essential ingredient for making the right decisions then all legitimate means should be used by every party. The government and indeed all parties need to ensure that every person has the opportunity to hear their electoral message. The population is likely to vote in the right presidential candidate when they are able to make an informed choice based on evidence presented to them.
My questions therefore are twofold:
Why should the parties rely on sponsorship from International or foreign organisations such as DFID, UNDP, KOICA etc. for such an important and pertinent national matter?
Why should such an important broadcast be on Ben/NN24 channel rather than NTA and national radio programmes?
Dr. Lauretta Dagogo – UK
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Dr. Lauretta Dagogo is a social scientist based in the UK with special interesta in women affairs and communities development.
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