US to PDP, APC, others: Don’t disappoint Nigerians in Feb elections: UNITED States Consul General in Nigeria, Jeffrey Hawkins, on Monday, asked candidates for next month’s elections to preserve “the democratic rights Nigerians fought long and hard to earn.” He gave the charge while declaring open a joint workshop organised by the US Consulate, the Nigerian Guild of Editors and the Pan Atlantic University for Political editors and other senior journalists in the country. President Goodluck Jonathan is seeking re-election on the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), while his main challenger is Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Hawkins said stakeholders, especially from party leaders to candidates and to average citizens, should do everything possible to meet the yearning and aspirations of the populace for peaceful and credible elections. “Nigerians have fought long and hard to earn democratic rights. They want and deserve peaceful and credible elections. “Every Nigerian from party leaders to candidates, to average citizens should do everything in his or her power to help meet those expectations. “You, as members of the fourth estate, have a huge role to play and we are hopeful that the 2015 elections will be more peaceful and credible than previous years and will serve as a model of good practice,” Hawkins stressed. Describing journalists as the eyes and ears of the electorate, the US envoy challenged them to educate the “electorate about what a candidate has done or pledges to do to mitigate security, fight corruption, increase youth employment, build infrastructure and improve education.” He explained that these issues were germane to the voters than “some of the personal attacks that we often see in the news media.” He added that Nigerian journalists “are expected to become experts in explaining election rules and explaining unfolding events in languages that the Nigerian communities understood,” adding that their reportage should be issue-based and not personality-driven. While acknowledging that the media had a vital role in fostering a peaceful and transparent process, Hawkins said as friends of Nigeria, his country had been urging politicians and their supporters to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric. “Sometimes, they take it into print and airwaves. By repeating inflammatory quotes, the news media may fuel tension and hostilities. You must weigh the potential consequences of your reporting. “Covering elections is a great professional challenge and you and your colleagues shoulder a heavy responsibility,” he said. He emphasised that during the coming elections, the role of the media in support of democracy in Nigeria was paramount, while urging journalists to ask “politicians tough questions, do research, analysis and inform the electorate” on germane issues. Hawkins explained that their work carried a tremendous amount of responsibility, as it would go a long way in determining the shape and outcome of the electoral process. He reiterated that Nigeria’s friends and allies around the world are deeply interested in helping to ensure that the elections are free, fair, peaceful and credible. According to him, throughout the electoral process, the international audiences would be relying on Nigerian journalists for timely, accurate and insightful reporting that would reflect whether those goals are being met or not. [email protected]/news/news-headlines/item/27223-us-to-pdp-apc-others-don-t-disappoint-nigerians-in-feb-elections
Posted on: Tue, 20 Jan 2015 11:15:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015