Sunday, January 2, 2011
Presidential aspirants battle for Internet users
8:31 AM | 
Posted by
Team Ribadu
January 2, 2011
Less than four months to the 2011 general elections, leading presidential aspirants on the platform of various political parties have taken their campaigns to the internet. Using their campaign websites and other gateways such as facebook and twitter, aspirants continue to use the internet to communicate with potential voters and supporters worldwide on their plans for the country if elected.
According to Internet world statistics, Nigeria with a population of over 150million has over 43million internet users; up from 200 thousand ten years ago. With a significant figure of over 25% of the population having access to the internet, aspirants have continued to develop strategies to engage this group of Nigerians. Use of the internet for political campaigns is however not limited to presidential aspirants, as governorship aspirants, aspiring legislators (at both federal and state levels) are also maximising the use of the internet.
Commenting on what he would like to know on the internet concerning presidential campaigns, Kunle Adebola, a banker and regular web surfer says “what I want to see when I visit campaign websites is specific programmes that the candidate wants to carry out in office; and captivating pictures of the candidate’s campaign or charity functions.” The campaign websites of various aspirants however offer different scenarios.
President Goodluck Jonathan
On his website www.goodluckjonathanfor2011.com, the President welcomes visitors with his vivid pictures including one with President Barack Obama. Aside from news items from various Nigerian print media which bolster his candidacy, Mr Jonathan provides visitors with the opportunity to know more about himself and to join his support group.
Under the sub-topic the issues, the President also provides viewers the opportunity to see his solution to six issues he believes are the problems facing Nigerians; which include: Economy, electric power,
security, health, education, and war against corruption. Commenting on the bad state of the economy, the President said “the past governments had an opportunity to provide the real relief to the Nigerian people in a time of great economic uncertainty. But once again, parochial, partisan, and special interests have taken precedence over the interests of the Nigerian people.” Mr Jonathan also promised a solution. He told Nigerians he “offers a good-faith alternative plan, which will receive the support of all Nigerians.” The President is also active on facebook where he has over 350,000 admirers, one of the largest among world leaders.
Nuhu Ribadu
Arguably the best designed and most interactive of the campaign websites, visitors to Mr Ribadu’s website (www.ribadu2011.com ) are welcomed with a video of the aspirant making festive greetings. There are also pictorial and verbal endorsements of his person from prominent Nigerians and foreigners alike including Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka; prominent writer, Chinua Achebe; Governor of Adamawa State, Murtala Nyako; and Tom Fuentes, former assistant director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations.
Apart from ways of joining or supporting his campaigns, Mr Ribadu’s manifesto titled ‘Pathway to a New Nigeria’ is also available for visitors in an abridged 16 page format on the website and downloadable in pdf. In it, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission says he will focus on a 9 policy agenda which include: Health, Education, Social Security, power and allied infrastructure, transport, agriculture and food security, and the economy.
Commenting on the challenges facing the economy, the former anti-corruption boss stated that “the Nigerian economy is performing below potential and is not creating enough jobs for our burgeoning youth,” while proffering solutions which include the fact that he would manage the economy “with fiscal prudence so that we are not spending much more than we take in as revenues.” Mr Ribadu also utilises facebook where he has more than 100 thousand admirers.
Atiku Abubakar
The former vice president on www.atiku.org welcomes visitors with a YouTube video asking for peoples support. Mr Abubakar’s flamboyant website also allows visitors to join his campaign team or ask him questions. Apart from containing news items about the former vice president’s campaign and statements, the website also contains Mr Abubakar’s manifesto tagged ‘making good things happen.’ The former number two citizen further outlines a five-point agenda upon which his administration will focus. These are: employment generation and wealth creation; power generation; security and war against corruption; education and health; and the Niger Delta.
The People’s Democratic Party aspirant identified a “mono-product economy” as one of the challenges of the Nigerian economy and stated that “It is, therefore, important that the current reform efforts are given added impetus, and that the benefits are better targeted.” Mr Abubakar is also present on facebook where he has less than 10 thousand admirers.
Muhammadu Buhari
The aspirant of the Congress for Progressive Change is yet to update his campaign website, http://www.buhari.org; what is available is still the one he used in 2007 when he was the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party. Should Mr Buhari decide to upgrade the site instead of designing a new one, he may have a lot to do; as the site is undoubtedly the dullest, least attractive and least interactive of the presidential campaign websites available.
Dele Momodu
The Publisher of the ovation magazine engages internet users on his website www.delemomodu2011.com.
Visitors to Mr Momodu’s website are welcomed with a picture of himself and the national chairman of his new party, the National Conscience Party (NCP), Femi Falana. Under the sub-topic spotlight on the issues, Mr Momodu explains why viewers cannot view his entire program for Nigerians saying “details of our manifesto are being worked out at the moment. It cannot be released to the public until we obtain our party ticket. We must harmonise our programmes with that of the political party that offers us the platform to contest.” Mr Momodu however summarises some of his programmes, including that for the economy, where he said “we must begin to respect industrious people in our nation. We must treat them as kings.” Pat Utomi
Even before he formally declared his intention to run for President under the platform of the Social Democratic Mega party (SDMP), Pat Utomi has always professed solutions for the problems of the country. Using his campaign website www.utomifornigeria.com, Mr Utomi welcomes visitors with several graphical portraits of himself and speeches he has delivered across the country, including one where he commends Mr Ribadu saying “Nuhu Ribadu is in my view a true Nigerian hero, and it is an embarrassment to Nigeria that our Attorney General irresponsibly accuses him of otherwise.” Under the sub-topic ‘issues,’ Mr Utomi highlights what he intends to bring to governance if elected to office.
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About Me
- Team Ribadu
- Team Ribadu is a youth driven, flagship volunteer movement for the Nuhu Ribadu 2011 presidential bid. It is “a political movement, founded in recognition of the legitimate thirst of Nigerian youth for a new kind of leadership marked by integrity and competence. It seeks to harness and support the tidal wave of young people, who are eager to get involved in the electoral process, in order to create political and social change”.
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