Muhammad Sabiu, Kaduna
The mouth piece of the North, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has enjoined voters to shun voting those who are handpicked by President or governors as their successors.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Secretary General of the forum, Murtala Aliyu and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Sunday.
The statement noted that, “ln a few days, some 93 million Nigerians will go to the polls to elect a new President, 31 State Governors, 469 Members of the National Assembly, and 990 Members of the 36 State Houses of Assembly.
” There is no doubt that this is a gigantic and important exercise, the statement declared.
” Our hopes and prayers are that the elections will be held peacefully, and will produce outcomes that will help take the country closer to its main development goals of building a free, just, democratic, and egalitarian society.
It also canvassed that the election will produce a great, united, and self-reliant nation, with a strong and dynamic economy. A land full of bright opportunities for all citizens.
“Clearly, the necessary requirement for achieving success in the elections is the determination of Nigerians to ensure it actually succeeds.
” Towards that end, the federal government, in particular, must commit itself to delivering what should turn out to be a fair, transparent, credible and hitch-free elections the outcomes of which must be decided only by the votes cast.
” The President has at various time, and at different fora promised to do that. The nation looks forward to the fulfillment of that promise.
” At times such as this when the nation in election mode, such as time like this, the ACF has always taken the liberty to draw the attention of voters to the right qualities they should look for when deciding whom to cast their votes for.
” At each occasion such as this the key selection criteria we recommend to voters to consider are very clear and objective party manifestos and the character and track records of the candidates.
” Voters will do great disservice to themselves if they were to vote into offices persons they know, or should know, have no capacity to perform well, or are persons with questionable character.
” Voters are also always advised to shun those unhealthy schemes whereby a president or state governor handpicks a successor. Nothing promotes entrenched corruption, cronyism and poor leadership more that such schemes as such dubious arrangements.
” The nation will never be able of identify and select good leaders among its people so long as some dubious people are allowed to manipulate the selection of candidates and the ultimate election processes.
” A cardinal and national goal of our great and dear country Nigeria includes the creation of a nation in which: “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand”.
“We, as a nation, believed so much in such slogan that at one time, it was a part of our national anthem! And in simple terms, it means that in our search for good leaders, we must cast our nets far beyond our ethnic, religious or geographical interests.
“A leader does not have to come from our tribe, zone, region or religious persuasion. We should seek for leaders that best cater for our national interests, and who are elected within the tenets of democratic processes.
“The tenents that allow people to choose leaders who will best cater for interests of the generality of the people, NOT their individual personal or the interests of their ethnic or religious groups.
“When 17 State Governors from Southern part of Nigeria, and from different political parties met last year and demanded that a southerner must be elected as the president of Nigeria, the heavens did not fall.
“It was accepted that as we are in a democracy, they were entitled to their views and opinions. Quite recently also, some 14 northern Governors belonging to the ruling All progressives Congress Party, (APC), met and came out with the announcement that they had committed themselves to ensuring that a candidate of their party from the southern part of the country is elected president of the country.
“Their reason was that the emergence and subsequent election of a person from the southern part of the country will serve to entrench the principle of North/South power rotation in the politics Nigeria.
“Though the principle of power rotation is still largely and somewhat controversial, nonetheless, under our democratic dispensation we must reconcile ourselves to accepting that Nigeria is a country for all its citizens, and each citizen has right to choose whatever he or she believes to be in the best interests of themselves and their followers.
