PCI Series: Osun SDP’s campaign jingles: What is in it for the electorate?

Like other political parties in the September 22 election, the Social Democratic Party had its internal crisis before the campaigns started. After factional crisis, Senator Iyiola Omisore emerged as the flag bearer for the party having defeated Atanda Munirudeen Kehinde and Oladeji Kolawole Yemisi, with a landslide victory in the primary election held in 332 wards across 31 local councils in the state. Senator Omisore had 123,485 votes while Oladeji Kolawole Yemisi had 1,805 votes followed by Atanda Munirudeen Kehinde who was chose by a faction in the party earlier.

Meanwhile, PCI’s analysis of two jingles being used to promote the candidacy of Senator Omisore indicates that the party and Senator Omisore want voters to consider them on September 22 based on the good fortunes that would accrue to them. One of the jingles is dedicated to the party’s readiness to solve unemployment in the state, asking youths in the state to go to the party’s campaign office with their respective Curriculum Vitae. The jingles say “He is ready to provide decent employment to thousands of Osun youths, which they will be proud of.”

Sadness occurs in one of the jingles when one of the voice artists exclaimed that ‘It is serious” in connection with another voice artists who says “He is honourable Iyiola Omisore, he has pity for the poor, he has the political experience to govern the state, and he is ready to be a good governor.”  This indicates portraying of Senator Omisore as candidate who would better the lot of the poor in the state.

On development-oriented programmes expected of each contestant, PCI discovered that SDP promises employment generation more than infrastructure, improved education, agriculture, health, labour welfare and debt defraying. Expectedly, PCI’s analysis further shows that SDP’s candidate is being presented to the Osun electorate as most qualified candidates with a significant number of ideas and experience in governance.

With these promises and narrative, would voters be interested in the candidacy of Senator Iyiola Omisore and his party by voting them in the September 22 election?