The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Friday that it had reviewed the regulations contained in its code of conduct governing political advertisements and campaigns in the country with a view to ensuring strict compliance by political parties and their candidates.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stated this in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of an international seminar with the theme: “Political advertising, perception building and voter education”, organised by the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria in Abuja.
The INEC chairman noted that the seminar provided an opportunity for advertisers to reach out to politicians that “all expertise should be put to good use for the purposes of organising clean and positive campaigns that will help them win elections rather than the kind of uncivil campaigns that take place in our country”.
Jega said, “It is important that we regulate and sanitise our campaigns. We have revised the regulations governing campaigns and we have already shared a draft of those guidelines to political parties.
“We hope to finalise it and very soon, we will put it into effect so that political parties will know clearly where to draw the lines and the sanctions that would apply if they do not act according to the rules and regulations.
“I think what this seminar has shown is that you can learn good practice from other countries and factor it into your own preparations. It is very important that we sanitise the electoral process and political campaigns. They should be research-based, well informed and expertise should be brought to bear in the preparation and conduct of political campaigns”.
Speaking in the same vein, the National Chairman, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Chief Victor Umeh, said political advertising remained a very important aspect of electioneering process.
Umeh said, “I urge advertising practitioners to go to INEC and collect the code of conduct already signed by political parties. The code of conduct is in a position to regulate what advertising practitioners will do. If you know that what somebody is telling you to project for him is offending the law and the rules, you will drop such materials and it is very critical that advert practitioners partner with INEC because they are very important stakeholders in this process”.
The APGA chieftain stated that the advertisements dished out to the electorate would influence their decisions, adding that in the absence of mechanism to regulate what political parties and their candidates were permitted to showcase to the electorate, they might likely make a wrong choice.
Umeh said, “Political parties have a code of conduct they have signed with INEC and keeping strictly to it. Political parties should refrain from messages that are offensive and in conflict with normal acceptable norms in the society. It is very important that as we prepare for the 2015 general elections, what the political parties and their candidates should be taking to the electorate will be very critical in deciding who the people will choose ahead of others in a particular contest.
“So, it is very good that at this time, political parties are enjoined to keep by the rules. Mudslinging and propaganda politics should be avoided. You can’t decide to disparage people because they are your opponents. It is good that we have this seminar so that people will be told what to do.
“It is also very important that advertising practitioners would also be aware of all these things so that when people approach them to project certain messages to the Nigerian public, they will be properly guided. Billboards are raised containing certain messages, Newspaper advertorials are placed. All stakeholders are enjoined to vet and edit the content of materials coming to them from politicians before they go to print”.