Since Nigeria became a republic in 1963, thirteen different men have presided over our affairs as an independent nation. We will be going to the polls in a few weeks to elect a new civilian president; who will be the next president of Nigeria?
Will it be Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor and senator of Lagos State? Will it be Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party and former Vice President of Nigeria?
Will it be Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party and former governor of Anambra State? Or will it be one of the candidates representing the fifteen other political parties? Most popular are Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party.
The surprise that awaits Nigeria
What surprise awaits us as we go to the polls on the 25th of February, 2023? Will the new president win by a landslide, or will there be a rerun? Will many Nigerians turn out on Election Day, or will there be widespread apathy?
Will the elections be free and fair? Will the present government ensure that we safely and freely choose our next president and that our votes count? It is only a few weeks before the elections.
The most important question we should be asking now is: What kind of president do we need at this time in our history? Among the eighteen candidates, who is the best fit for the office of Nigeria’s president?
Chinua Achebe famously argued that the problem with Nigeria is “simply and squarely the failure of leadership.” According to him, irresponsible leadership must be the primary reason a country so rich in character, land, and history continues to languish.
Who of these eighteen candidates can we trust with the massive responsibility that leading our nation entails?
Deciding among these candidates is not as easy as it seems. While it is vital, we always elect only honest, sound, and virtuous people as leaders, the question is not just about deciding the best among them, that is, in terms of integrity, intelligence, and virtue.
We must also diagnose our present situation as a nation, articulate our needs, and then among the candidates who have unquestionable character, intellectual sagacity, and physical ability, decide who is best fitted for the office of president at this time of our history.
In other words, as we go to the polls to elect a new president, at least two considerations must inform our choice. First, we must reflect on the present Nigerian situation. We must articulate our urgent needs as a nation.
We must be conscious of our numerous challenges and complexities as an ethnically and religiously pluralistic nation of over 200 million people. We must remember that although we are a richly blessed nation, we are currently the world’s poverty capital, with nearly half of our population living in abject poverty.
We must think of the high rate of unemployment, the unacceptable life expectancy, the lack of infrastructure, our poor education and healthcare systems, and our constantly deteriorating security system.
We must keep the many innocent victims of our poor systems before our eyes. These include Nigerians dying of preventable and curable diseases every day. We must not forget that corruption kills and that we remain a very corrupt country that privileges the greed of a few over the need of the majority.
We must carry in our hearts the names of the slain #ENDSARS protesters killed by police and military brutality. We must not forget that their only crime was demanding an end to police brutality.
We must let ourselves be inspired by the labors and dreams of all our past heroes. We must be conscious of our responsibility in choosing leaders and that we are part of the mess if we keep deliberately choosing corrupt and incompetent leaders.
What Nigeria needs in a President
Armed with a clear sense of the Nigerian predicament, we must then carefully evaluate the eighteen options in terms of character, competence, and capacity. We need an honest leader and not an individual with a criminal record.
We need a president and not an arrogant dictator. We need a leader and not a ruler. We need someone to preside over our collective affairs and aspirations and not a visible face of a faceless and self-interested cabal.
We need a president who understands the power of dialogue and is not a bigot. We need an individual who understands the meaning and the value of democracy and not one who disrespects human dignity or fails to realize that all human beings are created equal and endowed by the creator with certain inalienable rights.
We need a president who respects the rule of law, respects the opinion of the majority while being attentive and sensitive to the voice of all minorities. We need an individual who presides over the executive arm of government while ensuring the independence of the legislative and judiciary arms.
Nigeria desperately needs an intelligent president with a clear agenda who can assemble a team with the best brains and hands that the nation offers. We need a president who can rise above ethnic and religious sentiments in recognition that Nigeria is a pluralistic, secular nation. We need a responsible and accountable leader.
We need who leads by the compelling force of personal example. We need a president who regularly communicates with us and constantly updates us.
How to make the right choice
To make the right choice, it is not enough to listen to the candidates’ campaign promises. Saying the right words and reading well-written speeches is easy. Instead, we must be very attentive to the antecedent and track records of the candidates and to red flags visible in their utterances and body language during their campaigns.
You can’t vote for candidates who avoid public debate and expect them to be engaging after the election. You cannot vote for an individual surrounded by people with questionable character and expect honesty and accountability.
Read Also: Ironies of Our Three Presidential Candidates
You cannot vote for a dictator and expect a president. We cannot keep voting for the worst candidate while expecting good leadership.
To Vote Wisely in this election is to Vote for Peter Obi
CREDIT: Facebook / William Ikhianosimhe Orbih
Disclaimer: “The views/contents expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of William Ikhianosimhe Orbih and do not necessarily reflect those of The World Satellite. The World Satellite will not be responsible or liable for any inaccurate or incorrect statements contained in this article.”
