As the 2023 presidential campaigns kick off tomorrow, politicians have been advised to shun campaigns of calumny and name-calling against their opponents.
A civil society group, the Movement for Nigeria’s Transformation, MNT, gave the advice over the weekend following a communique it issued at the end of its national executive committee meeting in Abuja.
The statement signed by its national president, Victor Edward Ogba, urged presidential candidates and their teams to engage in issue-based campaigns, which would address the topmost challenges of insecurity, economy and restructuring, among others facing the country.
The statement, however, noted that the conduct of some politicians so far seemed to be derailing the rule of decency contrary to the guidelines provided by the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC, and National Broadcasting Commission, NBC, for political advertisement, instead of dwelling on important issues.
The statement read in part: ”Against the background of the commencement of presidential campaigns scheduled by INEC time-table to kick off on September 28, 2022, the Presidential candidates for the 2023 election should shun malignant campaigns of name-calling, bad-mouthing and calumny against their opponents.
”The Presidential candidates and their allies/campaign teams should make their campaigns issue-based as several challenges begging for attention abound in the country such as insecurity, non-performing economy, poor basic infrastructure and even the fundamental problem of restructuring rank uppermost among others.
”Observation so far made reveals that the conduct of some politicians appears to be derailing from the rule of decency as even prescribed by INEC, ARCON and the NBC considering the mudslinging, name-calling, open display of anger and denial of access to expose campaign adverts tend to be their preferred political actions”, it said.
It also called on Nigerians not to lose hope but to believe in the country for a greater and brighter future.
