Aziegbemi tasks Edo PDP Campaign Council Directors on winning 2023 elections

By Kingsley Abavo, Benin

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Edo State, Dr. Tony Aziegbemi has told the newly inaugurated Directors of the Atiku/Okowa 2023 Campaign Council to work proactively and assiduously with view to not just winning the election, but with a landslide.

Aziegbemi stated this during the inauguration of the Campaign Council Directors by the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki at the Campaign Council office in Benin City, the Edo State capital on Monday, 24 October, 2022.

Aziegbemi, who is the Deputy Chairman of the Campaign Council, while enumerating the terms of reference of each directorate as headed by the various directors, said:

“The Director of the State Campaign Management Committee is the head of the Campaign in the State and leads the Deputy Director and other staffers to implement the entire campaign agenda in the State.

“He is the Chief Executive of the Campaign in the State, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The Deputy Director, Media and Publicity coordinates the Media and Publicity component of the campaign under the general template set by the Director of Strategic Communication at the National Campaign Management Committee, in exercising his responsibility to ensure effective and coherent communication in the State. He or she will report to the Director, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.”

Disclosing further the functions of the various Directorates, the Edo State Chairman of the Party said: “The Deputy Director, Field Operations’ major assignment and focus of the Campaign Organization; is to canvass for votes, win and defend votes during the elections.

Therefore, field operation covers all activities relating to the actual campaigns in the State. The unit relates with the Department of Field Operations at the National Campaign Management Committee in this wise; It is in charge of rallies and field activities relating to the campaign, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council, Aziegbemi explained.

“The Deputy Director, Election Management’s terms of reference is to relate all the activities to ensure the Party becomes successful in the elections. They include the recruitment of agents and personnel that will work for the Party in the election. This includes training of election personnel to understand and operationalize every relevant aspect of elections from voting to declaration of result, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The Director of Research and Strategy will be responsible to conduct necessary research and analysis required for the campaign to adapt to the local challenges; and develop Campaign Strategies to optimize the resources and opportunities in the State and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The Deputy Director of Finance will have responsibility to ensure good use of all finances for the campaign. He or she will also support the candidate and the national leadership of the campaign in fundraising as the context allows. The Deputy Director of finance will also ensure accurate record of all financial transactions related to the Presidential campaign in the State, in line with the electoral law and other extant regulations, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.”

On the duties of the Deputy Director-General, Volunteers Groups, Deputy Director of Security and other Directorates, Aziegbemi has this to say, “the campaign will be led by canvassers and volunteers across the country.

The candidates and the National Leadership of the Party have resolved that the volunteers and social groups should operate in the States where they will be officially registered and managed.

The Deputy Director will receive basic policy direction from the Director of Field Operations at the National Campaign Committee, and utilize the guidance and resources to ensure effective functioning of the volunteer groups in the State where they are domiciled, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The Deputy Director of Security will bear responsibility to ensure the safety and security of Campaign Personnel and manage the relationship between the campaign and formal and informal institutions of security in the State. And any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The Campaign recognizes the critical importance of Religious and Cultural Institutions in determining the fortunes of the Party in the elections. Therefore, the campaign must factor the beliefs, sentiments and interests of cultural and religious leadership in making the Presidential candidate acceptable and admirable in the State and ensuring that the people of the State vote for the candidate.

“The Deputy Director will be someone who has sufficient network and influence. And any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The National Office will require good reporting from the different campaign structures in the State. The reports from the State will enable the National Office to make adequate provisions for effective campaigning in the State.

“Therefore, the Deputy Director has responsibility to ensure that required information gets to the National Office to ensure effective Management of the Campaign in the State. And any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“Nothing changes much with the structure for the campaign in the Local Government Areas. The critical point is that the Policy-making with regards to Presidential campaign in the Local Government will be made by members of the State Campaign Council from the Local Government Areas.

The composition of the LGA Campaign Council will include Former Governors, Deputy Governors, Former Party Leaders from the LGA like NWC, BOT, NEC, SWC members, Former Senators, HORs, LGA Chairmen and Former LGA Chairmen of the Party, etc together; they constitute the Campaign Council in the Local Government Areas.

“Furthermore, at the Local Government level, the head of the LGA Campaign Management Committee is called ‘Coordinator’ also the Media and Publicity Department becomes Publicity as there will be little resort to organized Media groups, but more engagement with Traditional and Local Communication Platforms.

Also at the Local Government Level, mobilization disaggregated into (a) youths and (b) women (c) elders and special interest bodies in the LGA. And any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“The Ward Campaign Management Committee resembles the LGA Campaign Management Committee in every material particular. The only difference of note; is that the Head of the Campaign Committee at the Ward level is called: “the Head of Committee, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.

“Two major changes are introduced at the ward levels to optimize effective campaign at the polling unit and ensure effective defense of votes at the polling units, which are the critical level in election management.

The first major introduction is that the three agents of the party will be part of the campaign from the State. There will also be seven (7) canvassers who will be responsible for mobilizing voters and ensuring they come out and vote on election day.

At least three of the canvassers will be women. Before the election, these agents and canvassers will be the front men and women for harvesting votes in polling units.

It means that they can only be agents in the polling unit where they are registered to vote. They will be part of the campaign from day one and therefore familiar with all the protocols and strategies developed by the party to harvest votes and protect them.

“Another innovative feature of the Polling Unit Campaign Committee is the appointment of Voting Day Intelligence Officers in the campaign structure at the Polling Units.

The person to be so appointed must be a trusted party member who owns a smart phone and has masterly use of it. He or she will be responsible for ensuring that all the safeguards for ensuring that the votes for the party are protected, and effectively counted, declared by the presiding officers and transmitted electronically to the official receptacle for safe custody.

He or she must ensure compliance with all the protocols in the INEC guidelines for the conduct of the election, and any other duty/duties assigned by the State Campaign Council.”