What election campaign cost 2face Idibia

Now that the elections have been concluded, some artistes are counting their financial blessings while some are lamenting their participation in the national exercise. At the finale of the 2Face Idibia led Vote, Not Fight Campaign! which was held on Tuesday, at Primal Hotel at Ikeja, the general consensus was that the campaign was a success, though various speakers cited the minimal incidence of violence across the nation during the general elections unlike elections as a major success story. A research carried out by the National Democratic Institute showed that the campaign reached 68 million Nigerians through the media.

According to 2Face Idibia, one major reason for holding the review session was to recognise the positive side and short comings of the campaign with a view to re-enacting it before the next elections. He said he had to reject an offer to contest for a House of Representatives seat and numerous offers for shows (partisan and non-partisan) which ran into about N114m. He thanked Nigerian media houses for their support for ensuring the success of the ‘Vote, Not Fight’ campaign.

The campaign, an initiative of The 2Face Foundation and Youngstars Foundation, was to sensitise Nigerians on the need to shun violence and embrace dialogue before, during and after the 2015 elections. Besides the regional tours and grassroot engagements embarked upon across the country, there was a special musical video that was shot with support from Spinlet and a lot of social media activities.

Ayo Animashaun,  country director of the National Democratic Institute; Jasper Veen, director of Youngstars Foundation, Bola Abimbola, 960 Music CEO; Mark Redguard, Founder of the Enough is Enough initiative; Yemi Adamolekun, Solabomi Okonkwo and Pamela Braide, were among dignitaries at the media session.