• Oladejo urges opposition to field strong candidates
• If PDP had used threats in 2015, APC wouldn’t have won, says ADC

Yiaga Africa has urged political parties to strengthen internal discipline and sanction members who engage in hate speech, cyberbullying and character assassination.

In the same vein, former Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lagos State chapter, Seye Oladejo, questioned the preparedness of opposition parties for the 2027 general elections, following reports that some of them might not field governorship candidates in several states.

However, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the reported threat by Borno State Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Sainna Buba, to flog those who refuse to support the APC in 2027.

Yiaga’s focal person in Lagos, Michael Ogunshola, said yesterday that political parties had a responsibility to regulate the conduct of their members, candidates and supporters, particularly as political activities intensify ahead of future elections.

He called for the adoption and strict enforcement of internal codes of conduct that clearly define unacceptable language and behaviour during political campaigns.

According to him, such codes should include specific sanctions for violations to ensure members understand the consequences of engaging in abusive, defamatory or inflammatory conduct.

“Every political party should have a well-defined code of conduct stating the sanctions that will be imposed on any member who violates the rules. If members, followers or candidates are sanctioned for engaging in these activities, the menace will be drastically reduced,” he said.

Ogunshola urged political parties to also clearly define what constitutes abusive language and ensure that campaign messages focus on policies and programmes rather than personal attacks.

Political communication, he added, should allow candidates to present their plans and explain how they intend to address issues affecting citizens, rather than resorting to insults or attacks against opponents.

The Yiaga Africa official said character assassination could have consequences beyond the electoral period, noting that inflammatory campaigns could damage relationships and create divisions that persisted after elections.

Therefore, he urged political parties to require their officials, candidates and supporters to sign campaign guidelines and commit themselves to respecting them throughout the electoral process.

Recent election-related interventions by Yiaga Africa have similarly highlighted the need for political parties and candidates to reject violence and inflammatory rhetoric and uphold commitments to peaceful electoral conduct.

OLADEJO said the reported inability of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to field governorship candidates in eight states and the New Democratic Congress (NDC) in 12 states raised questions about their organisational capacity and readiness to compete for power nationally.

In a statement entitled, ‘Opposition Without Candidates: Are They Really Ready for 2027?’ Oladejo said the strength of a political party seeking to win the presidency should be reflected in its ability to participate meaningfully in elections across the country.

He said the reported gaps in governorship candidates were significant because state-level contests provide political parties with opportunities to build structures, mobilise voters and establish their presence at the grassroots.

He said: “Elections are not won on social media. They are not won through press conferences, television appearances, hashtags or the multiplication of political alliances in Abuja. They are won by people, structures, candidates, organisations, mobilisation and votes.”

The APC chieftain questioned the ability of opposition parties to present themselves as credible alternatives to the ruling party when they were unable to field candidates for major elective positions in some states.

He asked why politicians seeking governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and House of Assembly seats would not contest under the platforms of parties that had projected themselves as formidable alternatives ahead of 2027.

According to him, the prominence of presidential candidates alone could not determine the electoral strength of a political party, arguing that successful campaigns required candidates and political structures from the ward and polling-unit levels.

He also cautioned against interpreting social media popularity as evidence of electoral strength, saying the electorate extended beyond online political communities.

ADC said the remark was troubling coming from a public official, warning that Nigerians should be allowed to make their political choices freely as the country moves towards another general election.

The National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said APC leadership must rein in its members whose utterances could damage the democratic process.

“APC needs to call its members to order,” Abdullahi said.

The ADC spokesman recalled that the APC itself benefited from an electoral environment in which Nigerians were free to reject the incumbent government in the 2015 election.

“If PDP had behaved this way, they (APC) would not have come to power in 2015,” he said.

Abdullahi also called on security agencies to act against public officials who, in his view, cross the line from political advocacy into intimidation.