Don’t just come to say that you’ll give free education, allowances at university, you’ll defeat Boko Haram. So, we must look at individuals, ask them critical questions, ask them for deliverables. There are other political parties like Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), who are also gunning to produce the president. I am well educated to know my civic responsibilities and not to be despondent at any time regardless of discouragement that these political elites bring our way as ordinary citizens. I, personally, support individuals as against political parties without asking that I should be mobilised for anything. We must look at individual and the capacity that they have. But, we don’t throw away the baby with the bath water. As a political party, that should be a failure ab initio.
It has been said of APC that the only thing it has democratised is insecurity, unemployment, Nigerian currency chasing the dollar, it is the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) being on strike. This is because the change it promised is here actually we thought it will be a positive one but it is a negative one at the central level. For example, there is no reason APC should win the presidential election, if we talk along party lines. We must be able to look at individuals, profile them, hold them accountable, ask them what they want to do in the key sectors of the Nigerian economy, how do they want to do it and where do they want to get the resources to do it. The PDP and APC are still ruling because we have defectors here and there. We have several political parties but we should look at candidates as against the parties. The world was caught by surprise that the leading vanguard of democracy in the world could throw up somebody like Donald Trump. To what extent should they look at political parties or the candidates they throw up? We should walk and run faster than we are doing, at least to launder the image of Nigeria as the giant of Africa as far as democratic politics is concerned.įor the 2023 general election, what should Nigerians look out for in making choices? We have already experienced both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC). We are making progress though like a snail. All these things are not good for Nigeria and we need to improve on that. There is no reason for a kind of state of emergency, movement restriction. I shouldn’t see any reason you shouldn’t cast your vote on your way to work or send your ballot by courier. I shouldn’t see any reason why there should be a public holiday because of election. Due to some things that are subjective, all these resources are not put at the disposal of the Nigerian State to benefit from. Though Kenya is the biggest economy in Eastern Africa but we are the giant of Africa we are the population super power and we have a lot of intellectuals in all areas of endeavour. They did not need to spend months because as far as technology is concerned, they have gone ahead of Nigeria. Kenya just conducted its general election and there was litigation and within few days, judgment was delivered. But, that is not the progress that we should jubilate about. To that extent, you will say we have taken a step further and we have seen how it was deployed in Ekiti and Osun states elections. But, with the promise that votes will count by making sure that when you cast your ballot, it goes to the central unit where Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and everybody can access.
If we look at Nigeria as a country, though we are not stationary, we are not making swift progress as the giant of Africa, our politics is still monetised there are pockets of vote buying, ballot snatching, political thuggery the independent electoral umpire is not backed by law to bring those people who engage in those things to book. What is your assessment of how our politicking has evolved and progressed over the years, especially as we approach the 2023 general election? How close are we to the practice of developmental politics as done in developed countries? Dr Aaron Ogundiwin, an associate professor of political science, speaks with WALE AKINSELURE, on the nation’s electoral system and the 2023 election.
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