Unprofessional Spokespersons are undermining the nation's democracy- PR Expert.

A Public Relations Professional,Mr. Dele Akinsola has berated the role played by unprofessional political spokespersons attached to various politicians in the build-up  and the conduct of the 2023 general elections, saying they succeeded in heating up the polity through their actions and inactions.

Mr. Akinsola who spoke as guest at the April Business meeting of the Ogun State Chapter of  the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations in Abeokuta on the topic " 2023 General Elections:The PR Lessons, observed that majority of the spokespersons attached to politicians rather than complementing the efforts of their principals by engaging in issue- based campaigns to sell the manifestos of their candidates engaged in vitriolic attacks, ethnic profiling, which undermined the democratic process.

In  a statement issued by the Vice Chairman of the Chapter, Waheed Ogunjobi, Mr Akinsola said such unprofessional conducts resulted in apathy towards the election as many voters were scared away from the polling booths through the drum of wars being beaten  by political spokespersons.

He said:" Spokesmen across the major parties became attack dogs and loose cannons, pouring abuses and invectives on their opponents, using hifalutin and bombastic words to impress not to express, fighting instead of communicating and selling their candidates; some of them engaged in reckless propaganda, beating the drums of wars".

For the first time in the annals of the nation’s burgeoning democracy and political process, ethnic profiling, ethnic bathing and slurs, intimidation and palpable fears, a trigger for violence pre-polls, during and post-polls dominated the political space"

He submitted that rather than beating the drums of war,  spokespersons should rather market their principals and promote their candidacies and stop acting as war mongers.

Preferring solution to the issue, he recommended the need for a well organised communication architecture designed and implemented by public relations and communication experts who will evaluate the issue and design the appropriate policy agenda, adding that public relations professionals must be assertive and intentional by being in the vanguard of information management in the country.

He  said " A study of the various political parties shows that there is need for a well-organized communication architecture designed and implemented by public relations and communication experts who will be able to evaluate the issues in the public space, design the appropriate policy agenda, decide relevant communication channels and deploy strategies that will help to influence public opinion".

Mr. Akinsola recommended that professional public relations experts should be engaged by the various political parties and candidates to ensure that  key communication messages are effectively passed to the people without Resort to misinformation and fake news.

Earlier in an address of welcome, the Chairman of the Ogun State Chapter of the Nigerian Institute  of Public Relations,  Mrs. Seun Boye noted that public relations was critical to upholding unity and development in the country adding that the lecture was geared to tease out lessons for better performance by PR professionals in the discharge of their onerous duties.