2023 Polls: Stakeholders insist on interrogating Atiku, Tinubu, Obi, others’ agenda

By Stanley Onyekwere

Despite having rarely four weeks to 2023 presidential election, scheduled for next month, February 25, eligible Nigerians are enjoined to critically scrutinise the goals and objectives of candidates and their political parties,  in order to make the right choice, and avoid rushing into repeating the mistakes of the past democratic processes.

This charge was handed down by several stakeholders drawn from political, religious, academia, business and other walks of life who converged yesterday, at the 20th Daily Trust Dialogue, in Abuja.

They observed that most of the manifestos of the major candidates, which centered mainly on issues known to Nigerians without providing clear workable solutions to actualise their presidential agenda, hence the need for the citizens to interrogate them.

Speaking during a panel discussion on the Theme: Interrogating the 2023 Presidential Agenda, one of the panelists, the former Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria ((FBN), Mrs Ibukun Awosika, identified lack of political ideology as major problem of the Nigerian democracy, thereby Nigerians should be more concerned with asking for the real change of narrative, which getting a strategical action plan from the presidential agenda.

Awosika noted that there isn’t a serious sense of responsibility from the presidential candidates, because Nigerians don’t demand much from political office seekers, resulting in poor governance and accountability in the polity.  

Also speaking, Professor of Political Science and Member of the Board of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Professor Jibrin Ibrahim, advised Nigerians to patiently ensure to look into the presidential agenda, and take decisions based on the result of their interrogation.

Ibrahim noted that the public service structure is very dysfunctional, hence the need for the candidates to consider repositioning it to align with their respective manifestos.

Another panelist, lecturer, Analysis of Business Problems, Lagos Business School, decried that  none of the candidates have demonstrated knowledge about building for the future, as they don’t inspire that kind of confidence in the people.

Similarly, Human Capacity Development Specialist, Dr. Eugene Enahoro, opined that failure of the Nigeria’s democracy has been the function of the failure of the national assembly (legislative arm of the government), who are fundamental to enriching good governance.

According to him, the presidency should not be as the solution to the Nigerian governance problem is available, hence the focus should e on making the institution of governance work effectively.

In a goodwill remark, United States Ambassador to Nigeria,  Mary Beth Leonard, said the media also has a vital role to ensure that Nigerian voters have accurate news and facts before, during, and after the elections.

She added that the U.S supports transparent and credible elections, that reflect the will of the people, in a process that is conducted peacefully. 

Earlier, in his opening remark, Chairman of the occasion, Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, said the key issue is whether the election will bring about a meaningful change for the better for the nation.

Onaiyeka, reiterated that there is need for a drastic change of orientation; especially in the concept and practice of political power, characterized by politics as sincere and honest service of the common good, and not as ways and means of capturing power for self interest!

According to him, a new group of concerned elite citizens ready to drive the new agenda of politics for service, and ready also to pay the cost of involvement; will the forthcoming elections bring this about? That is the question to interrogate!

Similarly, in his welcome address, Chairman, Board of Directors, Media Trust Group, Malam Kabiru A. Yusuf, said the 2023 polls affords citizens an opportunity to pursue collective interest to give the country, another chance, to rise from the ashes.

He added that it is clear that there are more desperados than democrats, among the candidates for polls, as it is the time for sober reflection, then Nigerians have to live for four, or eight years, with the choices they make.