By joshua 
By Emman Jasa Gwatana 09066922588
EVERY POLITICAL SEASON COMES UP with it’s peculiar dimensions. While political parties in the past have their manifestoes for elections underneath, the up coming 2023 general elections however appeared to have thrown up the presentation of party manifestoes on the front burner for public domain.
The word manifestoes has been given several definitions by different scholars. In order to catch a simple definition of the term manifestoe and for the purpose of this discourse I will align myself with the simple definition given by the Oxford Learners Dictionary to wit – A manifestoe is” a public declaration of policy and aims especially one issued before an election by a political party or candidate.” In essence a manifestoe is a public policy or working document of a party seeking an elective position.
The kick off of the Campaigns for the 2023 general elections has thrown up the presentation of manifestoes of the various political parties seeking to clinch elective positions to Nigeria’s elrctorates corridors. This development is a departure from the past where manifestoes were not presented to the electorates to scrutinize before elections.
Ordinarily the presentation of manifestoes to the Nigeria electorates will give the voters the opportunity to make choice of the party with the best policy working document . However since ours is still an evolving democracy, it leaves much to be seen how party manifestoes will impact on an average Nigeria voter in making their choices of party candidates in the next general elections.
As at today almost all the leading political parties with presidential candidates for the 2023 polls have unveiled their party manifestoes to the Nigeria electorate. This in itself is a very good development for our democracy.
The Peoples Democratic party (PDP) manifestoe for the 2023 polls harps on privatization of some government enterprises in order to make them efficient for the Nigeria people. The idea if implemented appeared to be good for Nigeria people. It is however left for Nigeria people to scrutinize the policy considering past privatization programme in the country and make their choices.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) party on the other hand has in its 2023 polls manifestoe harped on free education at all levels. The policy is also good considering the high level of illetracy in the country. The electorates however would have to scrutinize the policy considering the dwindling economic resources of the nation.
On its part the Labour party (LP) has in its manifestoe presented the case of fiscal discipline to mop up resources to develop the nation’s infrastructure. Again this in itself is also a good party policy. The Nigeria electorates will however have to look inward on how much the party can do to curb the endemic corruption in the system if it clinches power in 2023.
Like I did point out earlier, the public presentation of manifestoes by leading political parties to the Nigeria electorates for the first time is a good development. What should be put up for scrutiny is how serious are Nigeria politicians in implementing their manifestoes if they win the 2023 elections? Two, does the majority of Nigeria electorate understand what a party manifestoe is all about?
Come to think of it, what is obtainable today in Nigeria polity is the general hype during political rallies. Majority of Nigeria political parties foot soldiers are more concerned on the frenzy of political rallies to the reality of manifestoes of political parties and its implementation.
The realities of political rallies in Africa is more or less a jamboree to any iota of truth on the promises made by candidates of political parties during political rallies.
With hired crowds, parties hold political rallies in manner that appeared as if the large followership at political rallies could easily translate to victory at the polls. Worse is the fact that the entertaining crowd which often surface at political rallies are in most cases up for the monetary gains they could garner to the victory of the party. This of course has placed the issue of the presentation of party manifestoes to the electorates to a second place.
And on the issue of the sincerity of the framers of party manifestoes, it has become so difficult to tell for now if the winners of the 2023 general elections will make a difference in the implementation of their party policies for the benefit of the Nigeria electorate.
It is also apt here to raise the case of the Nigeria elites in monitoring and bringing to question the party manifestoes of political parties on any party that may win the 2023 general elections. As it is today, the Nigeria elites appeared to be too docile in putting into scrutiny the attitude and promises of Nigeria politicians in corridors of power. As it is today many of our elites only watch and complain in silence the continued bringadage of politicians in corridors of power. The elites should form the conscience of the majority of Nigeria electorates who know little or nothing about the workings of party manifestoes after politicians have won elections and took the oath of allegiance to the Nigeria electorates.
In spite of the warts in the presentation of party manifestoes to the Nigeria electorates by the 2023 political gladiators, one cannot but applaud the leading Nigeria political parties who have so far presented their party manifestoes to the Nigeria electorates for the 2023 general elections.
As could be seen in the present political dispensation the upcoming 2023 general elections appeared to be taking a different dimension compared to the eve of past general elections in the country. While public presentation of party manifestoes was not in vogue in the past, the current political dispensation has presented to the Nigeria electorates party manifestoes for the 2023 general polls. Two, while two parties kept holding forth in the build up to the presidential race in the past there appeared to be four to six parties currently making waves in the build up to the 2023 general polls.
There is also the issue of youths and the elite re-awakening in the preparation for the participation in the upcoming 2023 general elections. It could be seen that any politician who will win the 2023 Presidential election will have a hurclein task in delivering the dividends of democracy to the Nigeria electorates. This is so as the preparation for the Nigeria youths and elites alike to vote massively in 2023 polls and possibly defend their votes portends the great task of the winner of the 2023 Presidential elections to meet the great yearnings of these group of people.
Let the candidates of the various political parties know of a surety that the much Ado on political manifestoes should go beyond rhetorics. The suffering masses of Nigeria as at today are fed up with beautiful campaign promises embedded in party manifestoes. There is the conscious reawakening on the dire need to make the right choices in electing political leaders for the country. This of course informed the upsurge among the youths in the voters registration for this year. If anything, candidates for the 2023 general polls should not take this development for granted.
As things appears today on Nigeria’s political corridors, the Nigeria electorates have come of age after over two decades of uninterrupted democratic governance in the country. Political gladiators should not therefore hide under the ambit of political manifestoe to decieve Nigeria electorates to swing votes to its party for the 2023 general elections. Politicians who might take the presentation of party manifestoe to the public domain for a ride should have a rethink. It is hoped that the Nigeria electorates will be prepared to scrutinize the performance of politicians who will win the 2023 general elections with their manifestoes to guide them in their choice for subsequent elections.
To our 2023 party candidates, it is time to sit up and work towards realizing their party manifestoes should they win the upcoming general polls. By so doing Nigeria will be on its way to a prosperous nation.
Emmanuel Jasa Gwatana is at the political desk of The Graphic newspaper and can be reached on 09066922588