Edo 2020: Candidates Introduce New Dimension To Campaigns

Candidates of the various political parties for the Edo Governorship election scheduled for September 19 have introduced new dimensions to their campaign activities to woo voters across the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this method differed from the conventional electioneering where candidates gathered people in particular spots or rallies to sell their manifesto to them.

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The new method involved the use of comedians, dancers and pretty girls who usually converged in a particular spot to attract people before addressing the crowd on why their candidates should be voted.

NAN reports that their targeted spots were always around crowded environments such as markets, bus stops, shopping malls among others.

The supporters who moved about with loud speakers and other musical instruments held crowds spell-bound with performances before reeling out the plans of their candidates to them.

The comedians crack jokes, the dancers dance to the admiration of the audience while the musicians sing to the applaud of those around.

NAN reports that candidates of the leading political parties in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were the parties that had used this methods the most to woo voters.

When NAN asked an audience about the plan of the candidate whose supporters were canvassing votes for, she simply reply by saying, “I didn’t listen to what they said but just enjoying myself with their jokes.”

A performer who identified herself as Imade, said that she was part of the show to canvass votes for her candidate based on self conviction.

“Nobody is paying me to do this and i can tell you for sure that most of us are doing this purely on volunteer basis,” she stated.

NAN reports that while APC has Mr Osagie Ize-Iyamu as their candidate, the PDP has the incumbent Gov. Godwin Obaseki as their candidate.

It would be recalled that the two candidates had slugged it out in the state 2016 governorship poll.