The Senior Political Adviser (SPOLAD) to the Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Funkekeme Solomon, has charged media aides to focus enlightening the electorate on the substantive issues at stake in the lead up to the 2023 general elections.
Noting that the media space is being polluted by toxic and fake messages designed to divert the attention of voters from dispassionately gauging the performance of the party that has been in office over a considerable period, Solomon said voters should be aided to focus on the basic ingredients for electing a credible leadership.
In a forum designed to equip media and political aides in Delta State with the requisite skills for relaying the message of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, he said they should operate from two enduring standpoints.
“The first is that APC came to power in error through false propaganda and unleashed pain on the people. In effect, the party has failed spectacularly.
“The second truth is that APC cannot continue in office on account of their failure. We have a president that is not aware of the monumental problems facing the country”, he stated.
With “Crisis Communication Strategies and Management in Political Power Transition” as the theme of the workshop, Solomon told his audience that their message template should be inspired by some pertinent questions.
These, according to him, include: “Is our communication appealing to our compatriots in all parts of the country? Are we using the right words? Are we educating Deltans on the benefits that will accrue to our people if Okowa emerges vice president?”
He told the participants to be wary of the “disinformation and false propaganda” from media managers of the ruling APC and design an effective strategy for letting Nigerians know the “true state of the nation and be able to make informed decisions”. The ruling All Progressives Congress, he noted, has “nothing of substance to campaign with and will resort to disinformation used to great effect in coming to power in 2015”.
Solomon said that unlike on previous election cycles, PDP in Delta State is fighting on two fronts – getting Governor Ifeanyi Okowa elected vice president and retaining control of the state by winning the gubernatorial election.
On the lingering disagreement within the PDP, Solomon said the uncensored exchange of ideas will make the party emerge stronger and more cohesive after it is resolved. “And very soon, it will be resolved. Nigerians are generally looking up to PDP to rescue the country from near ruin and all the stakeholders in the party recognize that fact.
Despite the seeming disagreement, they all agree that they must rescue the country by winning the 2023 elections”, he stated.
The workshop was the fourth in the series of the Delta State Communication Capacity Building Workshop (DELCOM 2022) organized by the State Government for media aides, social media influencers/bloggers, media managers and journalists.