2023: The Villa Multiple Declarations
Abba Dukawa
Nigerian politicians always have different antics of dragging the president on the issues which not necessarily concerns him simple being rushed to him, distracting him.
In recent years Aso Rock has been turned into a place where state governors and heavyweight politicians pay unscheduled visits just want to be seen there to show their faces, flaunt their closeness with the president and pose for photos, and rush back to their states.
To tell the supporters they are in the good book of Mr President. Since 2020, there has been an increase in the number of visits to the President by politicians planning to dump their former parties for the APC or those who had already decamped and wanted to publicly announce it.
As the country matches toward 2023 elections in 510 days i.e 17th months some presidential aspirants have abused the sensibilities of electorates by relegating them to less important stakeholders in the forthcoming elections as they know the weakest point of electorates will go for aspirants with enough money.
Read Also: Enough of Polarization of the Local Security Outfits – Abba Dukawa
But 2023 elections is going to be the toughest elections than the 2015 and 2019 elections because of the numerous challenges confronting the country electorate will consider aspirants that are prepared for the challenges confronting the country.
Unlike previous elections which the electorate easily fall trapped with sweet mouthing campaign promises which put citizens in more uncertainties
Why such visitation to the President even though in his interview with NTA & CHANNEL televisions stations categorically said “he had no favourite candidate and isn’t concerned about who emerges his successor at the polls and I am not interested in who becomes the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) as I am open to the emergence of anyone. Let him come, whoever it is.
Despite the country’s constitution has given rights and privileges to every citizen to aspire to any office in the country without informing the president the same constitution grant has guaranteed citizens to participate in the political process and have freedom of choice.
Even though some aspirants has informed President Muhammadu Buhari about their 2023 ambition, the most credible option for them is that politics is about persuasion, not seeking shortcuts to power.
They expect visitation to Aso Rock will gain momentum as 2023 draws nearer but forgetting that forthcoming elections will be different, having the backing or informing president will not help any aspirants as the times passed when using his name will make his millions of supporters rally behind any politicians identifying himself with PMB’s name or attaching his picture to win election in Northern Nigeria.
Between informed President to informing electorates which is appropriates. Sadly, these politicians do not realise the nation electorate answers wiser and bear enough of degradation of not much respect. despite the hardship and poverty voters knows what to do as they have the power as citizens and voters to elect the best candidate in respect of ethnicity and religion. Let Both youths and older peoples push and act collectively in determines the country’s direction. Nigeria needs electorates to be strong enough to give the country a resourceful leader. For the avoidance of same the mistakes, the electorates will consider aspirants that will rescue the country from more drifts and aspirants that will lay the foundation for proper unity of the nation to create a level-playing ground for economic development, more infrastructural development and security improvement in every part of this country.
Nigerians need a person of competence and compassion, someone who is very selfless and a nationalist with a track record of life service, not somebody who spends his life thinking about himself. To be honest, we were in a deep hole, as the people and the country are in a much deeper hole than in 2015, with the current reality in the country. Those struggling to be President must understand that the problems they are going to face are multiples of the problems that were faced now.
Everyone in the country has a role to play in doing the right thing in thinking Nigeria first because the country and the citizens need a person, who is interested in collegial leadership with knowledge in economics rather than ethnicity or religious sentiment. The presidential aspirants should be a true Nigerian accepted in all parts of the country, exposed to all parts of the country in the reality of his life, not in talks. Is now left for Nigerian electorates to salvage themselves from the bondage of political slavery.
Wrote in from Kano can be reached at abbahydukawa@gmail.com
