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| Adesina |
In a concerted effort to add value
to our political and electoral system, and to advance our democratic
experiment, norms and culture to the next level, expected to be very
instrumental in determining the course of political leadership in Nigeria,
particularly, in ensuring credible elections and the emergence of credible
leadership and good governance, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Living
Legends Foundation have developed a new electioneering campaign model titled
“The Next President TV Reality Show”, also known as “Presidential TV Reality
Show”.
The Next President TV Reality Show,
according to a statement jointly signed Messrs. Femi Adesina, President NGE and
Frank Okechukwu, Executive Director, Living Legends Foundation, it’s an electoral
initiative aimed at sensitizing and re-orientating the mindset of Nigerians
towards embracing the right attitude towards politics and elections in order to
reduce political tension and minimize political violence before, during and
after elections.
On the other hand, the initiative is designed to play a
leading role in electioneering campaign as a formidable political platform. It
is intended to provide a unified campaign platform for political parties,
politicians and presidential aspirants to address Nigerians on their vision and
programmes for Nigeria and the road map to realizing them. The Reality Show will
help in our efforts to entrench internationally acceptable and acclaimed
democratic culture, norms and values.
• The idea of TV Reality Show has a
strategic underpinning; it aims at exploring the current high popularity rating
and patronage of Reality Shows all over the world, which cuts-across all gender
and age to drive home the message for the need for the various stakeholders to
act in a civilized and democratic manner in order to bequeath our nation a
credible election. It is an established fact that Reality Show will enhance a better
perception of issues by the electorate, and also will enhance publicity and
enlightenment drive that will have far-reaching impact on the psyche of the
electorate and the voting public.
• The Reality Show will feature
interesting side-attractions such as Drama Piece, Comedy and Music
Interlude/Stage Performance; all of which will be potent purveyors of the
message the initiatives are designed to project in the consciousness of the
Nigerian people and the voting public.
The drama sketch will cover five
major sectors of our national life identified to be very critical to the
emergence of credible elections. The drama will mirror these key sectors to
show how its action or inaction can impact positively or negatively on
elections.
The initiative is expected to
address the following key issues listed below:
• To re-orientate the masses on the
strategic and collective importance on the involvement and participation of
every eligible Nigerian in the electoral process as our civic responsibility as
the collateral consequences of our non-participation is always and usually
disastrous and colossal.
• To sensitize the mindset and value
system of the voting public (the electorate) to appreciate the value and
sacredness of their votes in facilitating the emergence and enthronement of
credible leadership that can usher in the much expected good governance and
democratic dividends.
• To reverse the voter’s apathy and
the inclination to electoral brigandage and violence with its negative
consequences on our political psyche.
The following objectives will be
entrenched:
1. A strong platform for the robust
discussion of the Nigeria Project by intending aspirants to the Presidency and
other elective positions
2. Smooth development of the
political process in the areas of embracing and internalizing the right
political principles, values and democratic culture
3. Becomes a novelty and a very
formidable medium to sensitize and sanitize the polity and to inspire the
interest of the people in the electioneering process for effective
mobilization, thus, creating the right political atmosphere and awareness;
educating and enlightening the masses and the electorate on their political
rights and what to look out for in a person presenting himself or herself for
political office and leadership position.
4. It will help to promote the image
of the participating Political Parties and their Presidential candidates, thus
enhancing the perception of the parties by the electorate.
5. It will entertain, inform and
educate the populace to know what to look out for in the process of making
leadership choices, and will serve to set agenda for the process of evolving
credible leadership in the overall interest of the nation.
6. It will serve also as a good
resource/research material for future electoral processes and decisions,
enlightenment campaigns and reforms.
While the following positive
outcomes are envisaged:
1. High Level of Awareness: It is
quite obvious that the general public will be better informed on their civic
responsibilities, their choices and the consequences of their choices and
decisions, which to a certain degree will influence in positive terms what they
do with their voting rights.
2. Elimination of or Reduction in
Voters’ Apathy: As the Reality Show is designed to educate the general public
on elections’ best practices and the importance and necessity of participating
in elections, and making voting a priority, there is no doubt that voters’
apathy will drastically reduce.
3. Elimination of Political
Brigandage: With the right awareness, voters will not sell their votes nor lend
themselves as instruments of political thuggery; they will be more alert and
proactive to expose and forestall all forms of electoral malpractices thus
eliminating brigandage and hooliganism.
4. Equal Uniform Platform: It will
give the political parties an equal, uniform and wider platform to reach the
electorate with their manifestos at convenience, thus giving vent and
expression to all the various issues and matters arising from the conduct of
elections.
Our desire to host an electoral
event of this magnitude is to support INEC and the Government towards the
creation of a conducive, enabling environment for the forth-coming election is
born out of patriotism and respect for the sanctity of life as co-partners with
government in nation-building to ensure that there would be no repeat of the
sad event that took place after the 2011 Election.
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