Victor Ezeja
Chairman of the Big Tent Coalition, Prof. Pat Utomi, has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to sanction the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for indulging in an act considered as passing off, using the image of Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in their campaign souvenirs.
A video that went viral recently showed people said to be supporters of the PDP loading a truck with bags of rice meant for campaign which have designs of the PDP logo combined with the image of Peter Obi.
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Many social media users who commented on the video described it as impersonation of Obi.
According to Cambridge Dictionary, Passing is “the illegal act of selling a product that is similar to one that another company has legally protected by a trademark.”
It is an act of making some false and intentional misrepresentation of someone to induce people to believe that the goods or services are those of the person known or popular for something.
Reacting to the video, Prof. Utomi in a video message sighted by Prime Business Africa, accused the PDP of exploiting the character and personality of Peter Obi, which has earned him popularity, for their selfish political gain.
The Big Tent convener remarked that the LP candidate’s track record of integrity and competence has been the greatest asset speaking for him in the course of the political campaigns, and has over the years earned him a good reputation.
He said they are basically trying to deceive the public, especially the uneducated in rural areas who may want to vote for Peter Obi.
“The PDP is actually passing off putting the image of Peter Obi on the umbrella to confuse the uneducated; the people in rural areas who want Peter Obi to make them look like, ‘this is Peter Obi’, when they have the PDP logo there.
“This should be litigated. It should be enough ground for INEC to disqualify such a party,” Utomi stated.
The Big Tent headed by Utomi is a coalition of political parties, social movements, civil society organisations and candidate support groups which make up the Third Force that has the mission of rescuing Nigeria from poor governance.
He said that in the 2023 election the character, competence, capacity and credibility of candidates should determine who the electorate should vote for.
The Professor of Political Economics encouraged citizens to vote for candidates with character and integrity which according to him, matters most.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with seven years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Master's degree in Mass Communication.
