Presidency Ignores Ethical Standards, Campaigns for Edo APC Guber Candidate on X

In a flagrant violation of ethics and the constitution, the presidency has made a post on its official X handle as it  “endorse” the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate, Senator Monday Okpebholo, ahead of the upcoming Edo State gubernatorial elections.

In the post, Vice President Kashim Shettima urged citizens of Edo to vote for Okpebholo to bring about a functional state.

The use of official government platforms for political campaigns violates ethical guidelines designed to maintain the neutrality of public office.

The use of taxpayer-funded resources for partisan purposes undermines the integrity of the electoral process and creates a perception of bias.

Such actions erode public trust, as they blur the line between the official duties of government officials and their involvement in political campaigns.

The use of government channels for campaigning also gives one candidate an unfair advantage over others, potentially distorting fair competition.

Ignoring such ethical and legal standards are in place to prevent public officeholders from misusing their positions for political gain, ensuring that elections remain democratic and transparent.

Reacting to the post, Nigerians have also condemned such violation, as it erodes the decency of a fair playground for contesting candidates.

@orpy_concept wrote: “Asin presidency handle ?? You guys are shameless, tbh. Well there is no sanity in this country. All is well.”

@Davetech wrote: “@officialABAT see the kind of people you employ… Using a government handle to run a partisan campaign… Rather than. Promoting and communicating good policies and programmes of the FG if there are any.”

@OkorieMicheal5 wrote: “So this is what the official handle of the office of the president has been reduced to, a tool for political campaigns and manipulation? ☹️☹️”

Another X user @50Arinze wrote: “You promised a level playing group for all parties. Using the official government handle for campaign says the opposite. This is so wrong.”

It was reported earlier that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has refused to sign the peace accord for the Edo State gubernatorial election scheduled for Saturday, September 21, 2024. This was disclosed on Thursday by the former Head of State, Abdulsalam Abubakar, who said the PDP would not be signing the peace accord if certain conditions were not met.

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Oluwasegun Sanusi

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