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Ahead of 2023 polls NIPPS urges political parties to embrace use of media

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Ahead of 2023 polls NIPPS urges political parties to embrace use of media

The National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru in Plateau State, has advised political parties to embrace the use of media, especially social media for voters’ mobilisation and membership drive, ahead of the 2023 general elections.

NIPSS Director-General Brig.-Gen. Chukwuemeka Udaya gave the advice at a workshop on Enhancing Political Parties Visibility in social and Mainstream Media on Wednesday, March 24, in Abuja.

Udaya, represented by NIPSS Director of Research, Prof. Pam Dung Sha, described the media, both conventional and social as an important instrument for parties in recruiting members and for sharing ideas of national and international importance.

He advised that ahead of the 2023 elections, for political parties to cover more ground for mobilisation and engagement of the electorate with fewer resources, they needed to use the media.

He said that only a few political parties were taking advantages of social media in spite of its abound opportunities for election strategies and voters’ mobilisation in the country.

“It is a truism that the dynamic nature of information communication technology in the global space has brought about a paradigm shift in nearly every facet of human endeavour, and the Political process is no exception to this development.

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“The media has become a strategic choice of communication for political engagement globally, most especially during election campaigns.

“The role which social media played during the 2015 and 2019 General Elections in Nigeria was remarkable.

“Evidence from baseline studies by the political parties’ leadership and policy development centre of NIPSS in 2018 indicated that most political parties in Nigeria were not very effective in the use of social and mainstream media to enhance their visibility.

“This indeed deprived and are still depriving them of the great opportunity to recruit members as well as adequately engaged with the electorates on critical issues of governance and national development.”

He described the workshop as part of the ongoing activities by the NIPSS-PPLPDC under EU-SDGN to discuss and address the concern.

Udaya said that the workshop which was organised for national publicity secretaries and ICT/social media desk officers of political parties was designed as part of efforts to strengthen political parties and the party system in the country.

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