Former President Goodluck Jonathan, his vice Namadi Sambo, and other eminent Nigerians have asked presidential candidates of political parties to base their campaigns on issues that affect the people and not personalities, ahead of the 2023 elections.
The elder statesmen, who spoke at the 2022 IBB Legacy Dialogue in Abuja on Thursday, August 25, also called on supporters of the candidates to shun indifference, rise against hate speeches, and be mindful of the country’s fragile unity and stability.
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Some dignitaries at the event include: the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mohammed Musa Bello; Vice Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed; and the Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo.
Others were former governors of Niger and Edo states, Muazu Babangida Aliyu and Adams Oshiomhole respectively; former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung; former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki; former Minister of Information, Labaran Maku; former Minister of State, Health, Arc. Gabriel Aduku; former Minister of State, Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda; and former Minister of State, FCT, Chief Chuka Odom, Senator Dino Melaye, among others.
In his remarks, ex-President Jonathan stated that the forthcoming elections were critical to the people’s collective aspirations, shared prosperity and development.
I, therefore, urge our politicians to be mindful of our unity and stability and exercise discipline in their campaigns and other political activities.
To the rest of us, this period does not afford us the luxury of indifference. We must be determined to participate in our democratic processes.
It requires that we must mobilise to vote those who will manage the affair of the country with honesty in order to guarantee peace, justice, unity and progress in our land.
Speaking also, former VP Sambo, who was chairman of the occasion, stressed the need for inclusiveness in governance and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, to make the right investments to continue to make Nigeria a reference point for other African nations.
He said;
Political stability in Nigeria’s democracy is as strategic as stability in Africa’s democratic journey.
Since the return of democratic rule in Nigeria in 1999, we have had six successful elections, which is a clear indication of how democracy has become the best method of governance in our dear country.
The FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, stated that the signing into law of the Electoral Act 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari had far-reaching, positive outcomes that would lead to a stable polity, and solve the myriad of issues that plague the country’s electoral system.
The dialogue witnessed thought-provoking panel discussion from stakeholders around the sub-themes of internal security, credible elections, voter education/citizens’ participation in the electoral process, monetisation of the electoral process and the zoning of elective offices.
In his contribution, Adams Oshiomhole, who kicked against the zoning of elective offices in the country, blamed Nigeria’s internal security on the failure of successive governments to prioritise the policy of nomadic education introduced by former military president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, in the late 1980’s.
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He noted;
Whereas, we cannot say any leader has got every right, it is nonetheless true that some leaders, including IBB, did manage to get some things right, but succeeding leaders abandoned those things.
On democracy, I have heard views that appear contradictory. You want to zone. Zone what? Zone the right to serve? It is your turn? To do what? There is some implied self-interest in all of the clamour for zoning or power rotation.
Earlier, the Chief Convener of the IBB Legacy Dialogue, Aisha Babangida, urged stakeholders to ensure that next year would not only give the nation a president it deserved, but the political contest the people deserved.
The meeting was attended by over 500 participants, among whom are members of the academia, the judiciary, the civil society groups, the media, and other political big wigs.
