The question on the lips of many Nigerians is whether the presidential campaigns have actually kicked off.
The talk in town is that nothing is happening in that regard.
According to a list recently published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), about 59 persons would be contesting for the presidential seat. But not many of them is being heard of, in terms of mounting their campaign, including the sitting President Muhammadu Buhari of the All progressives Congress (APC), who is seeking re-election, except an array of posters and billboards.
Nigerians are used to too much noise during electioneering campaign with political parties moving about in long convoys, blaring their jingles. It has always been so until now.
In 2015, the campaigns were hot.
The presidential candidates held rallies in different zones and states across the country.
With the look of things and with the presidential election slated for February 16, less than two months from now, it is not certain that the presidential contenders would visit all the states within the period left before the D-Day.
Pundits have said that parties are being careful about spending money, given the serious monitoring by the Federal Government through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“I think that generally, there is no money and some people believe that the EFCC can use this avenue to detect monies that politicians cannot account for (unaccountable wealth), judging by the same way the EFCC is tracing owners of some properties said to have been built with stolen funds, especially those belonging to people outside the ruling party,” an analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
“Generally, the economy is in bad shape. One way of measuring this is the number of people asking you for financial assistance these days. I have seen a four-fold increase in those asking me for help even though they do not know what my earning capacity is. It is a clear indication that there is a problem in the economy,” the pundit further said.
An economic expert, who spoke with BusinessDay asking not to be named, said that it was worrisome that less than two months to the presidential election things are very difficult in the country.
“Usually, during electioneering campaign anywhere in the world, parties and candidates spend money; this money circulates in the system by boosting economic activities. This is an unusual situation we are seeing; you know, during election, some printing businesses enjoy patronage; event planners; transporters and other small businesses boom, but that is not the case here. We are seeing a situation where the system is being starved of funds, creating opportunities for all manner of electoral fraud,” the expert said.
According to him, “If you say people should not accept bribe money to vote for candidates, you must have to provide a better alternative for the people to generate money without relying on handouts. This vote-buying thing thrives simply because people are poor and need money by all means. This is why the trader-moni has come handy this time around. But, what in real truth would ten thousand naira do for a trader? But for such category of traders who are already poor, at least ten thousand naira can take care of their families’ feeding, at least for two days.”
Except the two major contenders- the APC candidate, incumbent President Buhari and PDP’s, Atiku Abubakar- nothing from other presidential candidates except occasional mention on the pages of newspaper and chanced appearances on television screens.
Even at that, while Atiku is making appearances at zonal levels across the country, Buhari is yet to kick off anywhere.
Recall that following the lifting of ban on November 17 by the INEC for the presidential campaigns, President Buhari had on the following day, Sunday 18, launched his policy document tagged “Next Level” inside the Aso Rock Villa. The next day, Monday 19, Atiku Abubakar released his policy document christened ‘Making Nigeria Work Again’, on a live facebook appearance.
Against expectations in many quarters, the campaigns have been very lethargic to the extent that many Nigerians can’t seem to feel the election in the air.
A youth leader with one of the parties told BusinessDay that the reason for the low-key campaigns was money.
“I think it is about money. I am a youth leader in our great party. I will not mention it for some reasons. There is no money. It is only APC that is in power that has the money to do elaborate campaign. You can see their campaign billboards all over the place. They put their hands in the public purse to fund their campaign. But I think that is the extent they can go; if anybody is expecting President Buhari to tour the zones and states; that would not happen this time around because the man has got no stamina to do so.
“They will saturate every nook and cranny of the country with posters and billboards. They have all the money and they threaten every other person with arrest and with EFCC; that’s why you see that nothing much is happening.”
Tony Ama, a public affairs analyst, said he believed that the issue of money may have hampered the campaign of former vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“I am not sure there is money for Atiku to prosecute his campaign. The governors that would have raised money for him are also struggling for their own re-election. The odds favour the party in power because all they do, they do with public fund. That’s why you see everywhere flooded with their posters and billboards,” he said.
“Again, the ruling party appears to be applying the instrument of intimidation using the EFCC; wherever they see the opposition spending money they imagine that it is stolen money. Don’t also forget that the banks are very careful these days. In the past, it was the banks that used to repatriate money for politicians during election. It appears the banks are very cautious these days. The Bureau de Change operators, who also used to help politicians, are no longer keen on doing so; this is because the noose appears to be tightened on their neck,” he further said, adding that “the saddest aspect of it all is that it is negatively impacting the economy. The other day, the President lamented that the economy has collapsed; then the question that should follow is, why seeking a return to power; is it until Nigeria sinks?”
Unlike in the past when some individuals and groups spent their money to support a candidate of their choice by addressing press conferences; placing paid advertorials in newspapers, radios and televisions, today, such groups and individuals are relying on the presidential candidates to “mobilise” them.
Today, there are hundreds of groups purporting to support some of the presidential candidates; they are only interested in churning out press releases which they send to the social media or to the email boxes of media people whose contacts they have. They never acknowledge the use of such materials; their target is to receive huge allocations from the candidate they are in support of.
A trained psychologist who works with one of the federal health institutions told BusinessDay that she was not surprised that the campaign this time around has been low-key.
“I have followed campaigns in my life as a 50-year-old. I saw what happened in the days when Chief Obafemi Awolowo contested under UPN and Nnamdi Azikwe under NPP. Nigeria shook with jingles, and flyers were all over the place- that was even in the 80s.
“I also witnessed what happened from 1999 to 2014; but what is happening now is quite different and does not help the economy. The atmosphere is tensed up. People are already apprehensive of what the 2019 elections hold.
The government of the day is instilling fear in everybody. It appears the sitting government has seen this election as a do-or-die affair which is unfortunate and it is trying to, by all means, muscle the opposition.”
“The unfortunate thing is that they seem not to realise that what they are doing now; the evil seed they are sowing today will show in the next few months; by then they will be lamenting that the economy is gone,” the psychologist who refused to give her name, said.
She also blamed the people she regarded as “pretenders in the race,” of distracting attention instead of aligning with stronger candidates if their aspiration is to move the country forward.
“Honestly, I do not see the rationale behind the motley crowd that parade themselves as presidential candidates. I have thought that the likes of Kingsley Moghalu, Oby Ezekwesili, Omoyele Sowore and Fela Durotoye would have aligned forces with any of the two major contenders, if their motive is a better Nigeria. Does it mean they did not know they cannot win presidential election, at least this time, in Nigeria?”
