Political Marketing... Nigerian Style - Version 1.0

There are two principal things that make the 2007 general elections in Nigeria different from every other the country has had since gaining independence in 1960:
1. The sheer number of candidiates and political parties vying for each of the various elective offices in the country and;
2. The new and unique ways in which politicians and other interested parties are getting their messages across to the electorate.

On the first matter, it took the political debates organized for presidential candidates by African Independent Television (AIT) last week, for it to dawn on me that Nigeria really had twenty-four presidential candidates! Yes, 24. So while the media is awash with stories about what the more popular candidates like Yar'adua, Atiku Abubakar, Pat Utomi and even Orji Uzor Kalu are saying, doing, thinking and promising the Nigerian people, there is almost a total blackout on "lesser" candidates like Prof. Isa Odidi, Galtima Baboyi Liman, Abitti Onoyom Ndok or even Dr. Brimmy Asekharuagbom Olaghere.

Like me, almost nobody knew next to nothing about these candidates before the debates were transmitted via television. These candidates have had no adverts on television, radio or in the press. It is obvious that anywhere in the world, publicity and communications form key elements of the campaigns of candidates. You simply don’t have a chance if you cannot blow your own trumpet and tell the people why you are the best thing since sliced bread.

While the electronic media must be commended for doing a great job through the various debates they have been hosting, the print media has not quite been as forthcoming. I would, for example, have expected them to have certain pages of their publications dedicated to featuring the philosophies and proposed plans of candidates vying for various positions, especially at the executive arm at the State and Federal levels of government. Similarly, they could feature messages, which encourage the populace to shun violence and to exercise their right to vote. As the elections draw nearer, they could also partner with The Independent(?) National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other partner agencies to educate the people on the procedure for the elections. I for example, am one of the few people in my area in Lagos, who know that INEC has started using the data gathered from the registration process conducted in February to delineate polling booths. By now, people should be massively encouraged to go out and look for their photos at the points at which they had registered, with a view to knowing if their images are captured there or not. People with issues can then have enough time to report and resolve them well before Election Day. Television stations can also feature dramatizations of how the actual voting process is to be carried out. I however do not know just how effective these would be as the average Nigerian family today “enjoys” less than 2 hours of power supply everyday! Fantastic dividends of democracy eh?

Back to the issue of the UPCs – the “Unknown Presidential Candidates”, I believe that their coming out to stand for elections is a good indication of the freedom of choice we now enjoy in a democratic set-up. However, there is a need for the presently indistinguishable mass of political parties to aggregate along lines of whatever philosophical and ideological similarities they may possess. The primary question to be asked however is – are any of the thirty-something political parties we presently have in Nigeria really organized along any ideological lines? What do each of them really stand for? What are their stances on some of the most basic questions facing Nigeria today? Do they all need to form their very own political parties, or even aim for the presidency in order to achieve their goals?

Tommorow, we'll talk about the many new ways in which Nigerian politicians have upped the ante in the field of political marketing.