Politicians, Campaign Rallies And Entertainers

Uzo Chikere

The build-up to 2011 elections threw up a new dimension to political campaigns as had not been witnessed in Nigeria before. An unprecedented feature was brought to bear on the process such that the whole exercise assumed the image of carnival. That was when performing artistes, singers, actors, comedians and other showbiz personalities became willing tools in the hands of political office seekers to cajole and convince the electorate of their worth.

Being famous and appealing to a cross section of the society, politicians who are intent on selling themselves as well as their programmes to the populace that is increasingly becoming aware and discerning started invoking the presence of celebrities at their rallies to attract attention and perhaps recognition, respect and regard.

The process even had an increased incentive at the just concluded 2015 elections. Entertainers were either conscripted or lured into the campaign ranks of various candidates, getting them to the rostrum to titillate otherwise pensive crowds that would have been bored by the monotony of political demagoguery.

In 2011, celebrity entertainers were a veritable feature of political campaigns at presidential and gubernatorial levels just as it happened in 2015. First, D’banj’s popular hit song, Koko, was used by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) as the pay-off for its campaign promo cum commercial, and it did not matter how much he was paid as copyright royalty, D’banj was in the opposition quarters and their sympathisers perceived as a card-carrying member of the party. Again how that perception impinged on his career vis-à-vis live performance engagements, can only be conjectured.

Among the entertainers who graced campaign podia in 2011 as well as 2015 were, Onyeka Onwenu, Felix Liberty, Daddy Showkey D’Banj, Wande Coal, Weird MC, Sasha, Yinka Davies, and Yemi Showunmi and many more.

The affair spun off the production of an album dubbed “Goodluck Jonathan”, featuring such top acts as Zaaki Adzee, Sunny Neji, Sammie Okposo, African China, Naeto C, 6ft Plus, late Kefee, Waje, Tosin Martins, Daddy Showkey and others.

Another batch of the campaign christened “I Believe In Goodluck Jonathan”, also featured top Nigerian actors like Ngozi Nwosu, Desmond Elliot, Clem Ohameze, Femi Brainard, Ufuoma Ejenobor, Nonso Diobi, Yul Edochie, Yemi Blaq and Mercy Aigbe.

Others were Uche Obodo, Emmanuella Njudigbo, Ejike Asiegbu, Maureen Solomon, Tony Umez, Uche Iwuji, Chinyere Winifred, Emeka Enyiocha, Benita Nzeribe, Anne Idibia and others.

In the last elections, such acts as Pull Over crooner, KCee, Sammie Okposo, Flavour, featured prominently at political rallies. Artistes used their performances to either campaign or endorse candidates running for governorship elections across the states.

The question is; were they doing it all as a matter of being partisan or as professionals who must eke out a living through their practice? A lot of the artistes argue that it was not in support of any candidate that they mounted their campaign podia but rather due to the fact that they are entertainers who render services to those who pay their correct fees for so doing.

But Olanrewaju Dabiri aka eLDee, differs, explaining that before the 2011 voter registration exercise began in Nigeria some of them (artistes) were very excited as they saw it as an opportunity to effect the much-needed change in the country, stressing that he geared up and commenced non-partisan campaigns directed at youths in Nigeria to ensure that they register, vote, and protect their votes.

He regretted that people continue to take advantage of good intentions and initiatives for selfish and corrupt purposes.

In spite of el Dee’s postulation, there are industry followers who believe that Nigerian Celebrities are tools in the hands of politicians; that is why they could be used as campaign machinery for politicians.

There had been purely political campaign projects undertaken by actors, comedians and musicians in favour of candidates of the major contending parties in the country.  D’banj may pass for the most prominent example. The musician interviewed the current president of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, presidential candidate for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in March 2011.

There was also a previously announced non-partisan voters’ campaign headlined by D’banj and tagged “Our Time” which transmuted into a Pro-Jonathan campaign. This resulted to a virile online and offline debate and a rebuttal from Nigerian artiste/producer eLDee – The Politics of “Our Time”.

Again, a campaign cum endorsement video featuring Olu Jacobs, Monalisa Chinda, Genevieve Nnaji, Ini Edo, Ramsey Nouah, Desmond Elliot and Stephanie Okereke matrialised online.
The video was posted on various sites across the internet, inspiring even more feverish debate. The video was subsequently removed from You tube but later uploaded again by a third party.

Featuring performing and recording artistes at political campaign rallies would appear to have become the norm rather than exception. Because the celebrity artiste has over time developed some kind of aura that commands strong emotional influence on his fans, who are most likely to sway their support towards any candidate he endorses just the way they (fans) will patronize a product of his endorsement, the politicians have seen good reason to enlist their services during their campaigns.

But there is no gainsaying that this new-fangled symbiotic relationship between entertainers and the political class promises far reaching implications for the polity. When the masked one, Bisade Ologunde aka Lagbaja declined to perform at the campaign rally of the PDP governorship candidate of Osun State Iyipola Omisore, coupled with the reason he (Lagbaja) adduced; that he had a hand in the death of Chief Bola Ige, the effect was not lost on the candidate’s aspiration to govern the state.

While it has every ecstatic and effervescent effect to the extent that it helps to attract a massive crowd to politicians’ campaign rallies, even when a large part of that crowd may just be cashing in on the opportunity just to watch at a close range their idols whose gate fees they may not be able to afford, the wrong engagement of these celebrities may be negative to the desire of the politician involved given the circumstance and context.

To be sure, enlistment of artistes as tools or a ploy to achieve political mileage by politicians is beneficial to both parties and may have come to stay. But whether or not these artistes really danced to their banks as the campaigns fade, remains to be seen.