•Meet with Jega
Advertising outfits want the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that all political advertisements go through the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) to guarantee professionalism in electioneering.
AAAN Publicity Secretary, Celey Okogun (left); Vice President, Kelechi Nwosu (second left); Oke; and Jega during the visit.
AAAN President, Bunmi Oke, told INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, when she and her team visited him in Abuja to ensure that any political advertisement deemed fit for exposure is handled by a member of the association.
She presented to him a list of registered AAAN members with professional records in marketing communications, campaign executions, and political advertising that can help elevate the 2015 election debate to accountable leadership.
Oke, who also represents the AAAN at the national conference, recalled that some of the most memorable political advertising in Nigeria dating back to the 1980s were developed and executed by skilled AAAN professionals.
She canvassed the support of the INEC and political parties in the use of only AAAN members, saying the list will be updated from time to time.
Jega acknowledged the role of the AAAN in shaping democratic structure and added his voice to the call for genuine practitioners to handle election advertising.
He said the INEC will use AAAN members once they comply with procurement procedure and urged political parties to do likewise.
Oke and her colleagues also updated Jega on the international seminar on political advertising, perception building, and voter education holding in Abuja on July 11.
Expected at the seminar are stakeholders in the electoral process, all registered political parties, regulatory agencies, marketing communication industry players, security agencies, the judiciary, civil society organisations, non governmental organisations and representatives of the media.
The seminar, which will be chaired by Jega, will feature a keynote address to set the tone, commentary by the INEC on registered political parties, and a panel discussion.
The keynote speaker will be Craig Smith, Campaign Adviser for former United States President Bill Clinton in the 1992 election, who later became White House Political Director, and played a prominent role in Clinton’s re-election in 1996.
Smith is currently handling “I’m Ready for Hillary,” a pro-Hillary Clinton-for-President grassroots mobilisation group.
The discussants will be drawn from regulators of election and communication as well as bodies involved in electioneering process.
They include representatives from the INEC, AAAN, Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) and civil society.
Oke said political parties are the primary participants of the discourse, focusing on electioneering process towards 2015 and the AAAN desires to promote voter education and political advertising, hence the international seminar.
APCON Registrar/Chief Executive Officer, Bello Kankarofi, invited political parties and others to the seminar, which seeks to raise voter education and knowledge-based electioneering to facilitate informed voting and help political parties deliver the right messages on manifestoes.
He advocated “decent advertising” which can be guaranteed by APCON having to vet all political campaign materials.
“We look forward to a situation where the political parties will commit to this pledge at the end of the seminar,” he said.
