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By Kingsley Alaezi Offia
It is few days to the commencement of electioneering campaigns for next year’s much-anticipated general elections. According to the time-table by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), political campaigns will begin on September 28. It’s believed that the forthcoming elections, especially the Presidential poll may be the most competitive since the present democratic dispensation began in 1999. It is not for good measure that Nigerians are looking forward to the elections, particularly who succeeds President Muhammadu Buhari after he must completed the maximum constitutional two-terms in office.
There’s a sinking feeling in the country right now. The country needs good leadership, a new direction. It’s not in doubt that Nigeria is at the crossroads. It’s not wrong to say that Nigeria not being this polarized on ethnic and religious lines in decades. All critical sectors are bleeding. Education, health, security, economy, power supply, infrastructure, to mention but a few. For instance, for seven months now, federal and many state -owned universities have been on strike called by the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU). And there’s no end in sight to the strike. There is, therefore, no shortage of issues to anchor the electioneering campaigns by the candidates. That is why the atmosphere is once again charged, waiting for the flag off of the campaigns. Old products should not be repackaged to represent current issues of urgent importance. All forms of narratives are finding their way to the front burner. These include ethno-religious and party affiliations, to other considerations. The striking difference this time is the precarious nature of the entity called Nigeria. As many stakeholders have posited, Nigeria is more divided now than ever. Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, are just two prominent Nigerians who have stated that the 2023 election will be a watershed, a defining moment for the country. That makes the forthcoming elections something to eagerly look forward to . It’s therefore appropriate that the candidates should focus on real issues, and not on emotional choices. For what matters, the campaigns should be devoid of name-calling, character assassination,or incendiary language that heat up the polity. It is however heartwarming that some of the presidential contenders – Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Atiku Abubakar – all said they are committed to issues-oriented campaigns. But the recent attack on the Mr Obi, the Labour Party Presidential candidate by the hirelings of the APC presidential candidate, detracts from the real issues confronting Nigeria and the citizens. These issues include Insecurity, economic crisis of inflation, soaring costs of food items. The latest August inflation rate of 20.52 percent which is the highest since 2005, is one economic problem that the Candi should proffer solution to. History and opportunity beckon on Nigerians to chart a new course by electing a new leader and an agile thinker. There is need to change the course of the country and make things better. I will be happy to see the candidates avoid hate speech and focus on the multiple challenges and how to make Nigeria better again. There’s no doubt that many Nigerians are frustrated. You can see anger everywhere. Many have become cynical about politics and politicians . It’s time to forgive and forget the quarrels of the past and focus on how to restore hope and confidence in the country. The media should help set agenda for the candidates.
Their past records should be scrutinized. And from hindsight, some important issues that deserve serious attention as the elections draw closer include health, education, economy, power supply, infrastructure, poverty reduction and youth unemployment. More than at any time in our history, the future of Nigeria’s youths now looks bleak. Therefore, Nigerians need to hear from the candidates, in specific terms, how to get each of these sectors working, and the timelines for results. Like Education that has almost collapsed, fixing the health sector is so vital so that the current medical tourism will be drastically reduced. As a rule, all major candidates that have presented themselves for election should make available their medical records for public scrutiny. The Nigerian state deserves a strong, healthy and possibly, a young leader, who can shoulder the onerous responsibilities that the office of the presidency demands. While solutions to key challenges are expected from the candidates, it is equally important that the presidential contenders must be as fit as fiddle. This is important to avoid the nightmare Nigerians experienced due to the state of health of a former President, late Umaru Yar’adua, and incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari at the early years of his administration. There is a nexus between good health and performance. But of critical importance, the electioneering campaigns must avoid the fault lines that divide us. The candidates must rise above ethnic and other parochial considerations. The candidates must not play to the gallery as was the case in previous campaigns. Nigeria needs a president whose virtues must include humility, empathy, honesty and compassion. These attributes are in short supply in the present leadership. For all that matters, the passion to rescue the country should be a priority concern to the candidates. That is why leadership matters. The electorate wants competence, character, integrity, experience to be the issues of conversation. Propaganda should not have a place in the electioneering campaigns. The track records, verifiable antecedents, and provable means of income of every candidate should be at the front burner of discourse . That’s a major agenda that will drive the campaigns.
The 2023 General elections should serve as as a referendum on the future of Nigeria. That’s why beyond issue-oriented campaigns, Nigeria needs a president who has the burning desire to reset the country and restore hope and confidence at home and within the international community. Right now, that confidence is at its lowest level. It’s the responsibility of the citizens and the media to interrogate the candidates on their plans to reposition the country. That is why the next President must have a track record of competence, and capacity. The presidency should not be seen as an entitlement. That is why I agree with the Labour Party Presidential candidate that the presidency is not the turn of any individual but the duty of Nigerians to take back their country. Public office is public trust. The principle of accountability and transparency in critical issues such as capacity to govern and the credentials of each candidate must not be ignored. Anyone who is offering himself to the highest office in the land must show he or she possesses what it takes to lead Nigeria. It’s time to focus on issues-oriented campaigns.
Alaezi Offia, writes from Aba, Abia State
