2023: Open Letter To All The Presidential Aspirants -By Abdulazeez Alhassan

The 2023 presidential election is one of the most anticipated event in Nigeria. It is the powerful determining factor that may bring about the change we yearn for, and make Nigeria a better place for all.

The flagbearers of APC (Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ruling party), PDP (Atiku Abubakar), NNPP (Rabi’u Kwankwaso), and LP (Peter Obi) happened to be the plethoral candidates presented by their parties. The candidates are dewy-eyed eager to celebrate their victory come 2023. They are willing to do whatever it takes to woo the presidential seat. Therefore, the mysterious question is – who is the most competent to be voted for among them, who will better the lives of Nigerians?. This question is generating controversies and remains unanswered.

Honestly, I am having a hard time understanding the features Nigerians are using in weighing and projecting candidate’s competency. Competence of a candidate has to do with that person’s ability to carry out the specific task he is assigned/voted for. Equally, a competent person is someone who is suitable for the task he’s assigned for.

In light of the above, one could say that the presidential candidate of whatsoever party must be competent by having a good track record of leadership and management skills, he should have a record of maintaining unity particularly in this cosmopolitan country with diverse ethnic groups added to the fact that he must be hardworking, honest and experienced in various sectors of the economy.

Dear presidential candidates, Nigeria is deep down below standards in social, economic and political benchmark. The pervasive insecurity is worse, unprecedented corruption and economic mismanagement are at their apex. The recent statistics on inflation is 19.6% – highest rate since 2005. Northern region is engulfed by insecurity, employment is zero in the country, universities are shut-down for over seven months, etcetera. Therefore, Nigerians want someone who is ready and can address the aforementioned critical and national issues. Our experiences of the past seven years under the present administration is gruesome, disheartening and uncalled for. So, it is better for some of the presidential candidates to step-down for a more competent hand to emerge than adding fuel to the fire.

More so, It is expected for any political party to present a dedicated and experienced candidate. They should as well, restrain their members and supporters from any act capable of inciting hatred or truncating the democratic process of the country.

It is worthy of note that the patriotic and courageous conduct displayed by Kenyan electoral commission is commendable. This is what Nigerians expect from Mahmud Yakubu-led INEC. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should also ensure that it conducts free, fair and credible elections. It should surreptitiously carry out thorough investigations on candidates records and should deploy technology in the up-coming election, as this will help to epiphanise some hidden facts to us.

The NGO’s, security agencies and the judiciary also have their roles to play for a true democracy and credible elections, they should as a matter of urgency unite and bring an end to the overwhelming challenges Nigerians are facing. In the end, we pray for a better Nigeria.