Opinion: Presidential Candidates Who Were Victims Of Campaign Of Calumny During 2023 Election

The just concluded 2023 general election was characterized by a lot of issues including campaign of calumny, a tactic meant to destroy reputation of a political opponent.

Some politicians used campaign of calumny against opponents in the hope that voters will be tricked into thinking that the accusations are true. During the electioneering campaign, some politicians particularly spokespersons of some major parties were involved in conducts that seemed to derail the rule of decency expected in an election.

In wake of this, this article will highlight two presidential candidates who were victims of campaign of calumny during the 2023 general election.

1. Peter Obi: Not only was he described as a religious bigot, he was accused of designing identity cards for northerners during his tenure as Anambra state governor even though there's no available record to back up such claims.

It is common knowledge that during the electioneering campaign, Peter Obi went round telling people not to vote for him because he is an Igbo man. So, the issue of ethnic bigotry seemed to be out of place. 

It seems that majority of the verbal attacks targeted at Peter Obi during the campaign was meant to destroy his reputation in order to reduce his political appeal in some areas particularly in the north.

2. Bola Tinubu: the president-elect, Bola Tinubu was also a victim of verbal attacks. In attempt to market their own candidates, supporters of other presidential candidates made many unfounded allegations against the former Lagos state governor.

Social media was awash with videos depicting Bola Tinubu as a sick man who is not medically fit enough to be president even though there is no health record that declared him medically unfit. These categories of persons went to the extreme in their attempt to de-market Bola Tinubu. But despite their attempts, the former Lagos state governor won the election even though other parties are in court challenging the credibility of his emergence as president-elect.

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