Written by Toheeb Babalola
A democratic nation or territory cannot function by itself. There must be a set of individuals constituting “a government”. Government should be “of the people, by the people and for the people”, according to Abraham Lincoln.
The citizens [people] have the constitutional right to decide qualified or credible individuals whose manifestos or promises are convincing to manage government affairs on their behalf.
Casting a vote for a candidate means the ‘fate of the people’ has been put into the candidate’s hands based on the promises made to them. They have rest assured that their interest for good governance and community development would be prioritized by their preferred candidates
The media, as an intermediary between the government and the people, track the manifestos of the administration, giving the people a voice to hold the government accountable whenever it fails.
For instance, during the 2023 electioneering campaign, the incumbent Nigerian President Bola Tinubu said, “If I do not provide steady electricity in four years, do not vote for me for 2nd Tenure”, promising stable power in his first tenure.
With frequent reports on the National grid’s failure in supplying electricity to Nigerians by the media, it jeopardized Tinubu’s election promise (s), making the people to hold the president accountable ahead of the next election.
Tracking government manifestos creates a well informed communities, pushes people as the real decision makers and changes future policies.
