The Center for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), has cautioned content creators on social media, film makers, comedians, and supporters of political parties and candidates against using derogatory and inhuman utterances against their fellow political rivals.
CITAD, a capacity-building civil society organization that focuses on using ICTs for peace, development, and good governance, made this warning ahead of the 2023 elections.
This warning was made by the lead of the Countering Harmful Speech and Disinformation Desk, Hamza Ibrahim, of the Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), while addressing journalists on Tuesday during a press conference organized by the organization.
Hamza made the call to spokespersons of campaign councils at different levels, filmmakers involved in advertising candidates or parties, content creators on social media, comedians, prominent politicians, including serving governors, supporters of parties and candidates or movements, and political singers.
“These groups have been at the forefront of purveying not only harmful speech on social media but disinformation.”
“And as the general election keeps approaching and considering the rate at which incitement, calls for violence, hate speech, threatening remarks, and disinformation are surfacing online, we consider it necessary to raise these critical concerns with the public and pinpoint the danger they pose to the peaceful conduct of the election that we hope for,” he said.
“Content creators and comedians on social media platforms are aggravating political tension with their insensitive language, and in doing so, they trigger people to use harmful expressions against persons, parties, or certain political ideologies.
“We have also tracked and analyzed the exchange of denigrating and offensive language amongst politicians aspiring for various elective posts provoking their supporters and followers against their opponents.
“These have been posted on social media platforms, especially in video format.
“These are obviously serious concerns that can be problematic to the peaceful conduct of the election; that is the reason we are raising the concerns,” he added.
He called on the spokespersons of presidential candidates to sanitize and guard their words and actions and urged them to stop using denigrating, offensive, hateful, or inflammatory remarks in their political address, either at campaign rallies, social media commentary, or anywhere.
