All the political parties seeking for our votes in the presidential and national assembly elections on Saturday, 25 February 2023, have promised us practically everything under the sun. But in reality, some are paying lip service about keeping Nigeria peaceful, united and economically prosperous because of the way they configured. When we are talking of peace, we do not mean peace of the graveyard. And when we are talking of united Nigeria, we are talking of Nigeria where diversity which is our strength is wisely and well managed. Consequently, economic prosperity of our country can only flourish in an atmosphere of peaceful and united Nigeria. The reality of peaceful co-existence enhances unity and guarantees an enabling environment for economic prosperity.
Nigeria’s journey so far has largely been one where many of the leaders paid lip service to the important issue of keeping our diverse society united and peaceful. Some of our leaders had adopted policies that divided Nigerians further without being sensitive to our diversity. The fact is that Nigeria is made up of a fragile society which needs to be managed with utmost care by being sensitive to the things that divide us. As Nigerians vote on Saturday 25 February 2023, every well-meaning and patriotic Nigerian is praying not just life, but abundant and secured life after that day. If there should be abundant and secured life after the elections, we as a people have to work towards it and not just assume that all the politicians and their political parties are sincere about making such happen.
Mindful of the fact that electioneering campaign ended on Thursday 23 February 2023, we can only raise issues that can make a peaceful, united and prosperous Nigeria possible rather than mentioning names of political parties. This is why we will be talking in veiled terms in this piece.
Talking about the things that divide us, religion ranks topmost in the list. So when any party ignores this and thinks that it does not matter, patriotic Nigerians would be agitated. This election should aim at keeping Nigeria together and peaceful, rather than being further divided and kept in a dynamic state of suspicion, tension and conflict. The promoters of same-faith ticket in Nigeria past and present, failed to think through along this line given the level of fragility of Nigeria. A dynamic state of suspicion, tension and conflict will reduce the prospects of peace and unity, and will ipso facto further reduce the prospects of economic prosperity.
So this election is for parties whose configuration will promote equity, peace, unity and economic prosperity. Within this group, political parties maintaining the old political order ridden with institutionalised corruption have little prospects of promoting the ideals of equity, peace, unity and economic prosperity. Nigerians are sick and tired of such old political order. They want something new and different. Nigeria’s true patriots and its army of frustrated youthful generation want a deviation from this old corruption-ridden order. Such an order is harmful to the interest of the common man, which ipso facto will also fail to promote the overarching desired ideals
Nigerians have to make a choice among the parties that promise a new Nigeria in the real sense, and not those who promise such but deny the principle of equity, justice and fairness. Those who violate the equity principle in a complex heterogeneous society as Nigeria would not promote peaceful, united and prosperous Nigeria no matter their pretences. True patriotic Nigerians who genuinely want a new political order (that would promote equity, peace, unity and prosperity among all sections of the country), have no choice but to reject parties with such pretences. The saying that if you want peace, work for justice should be a guiding principle for voting in this presidential election. Nigeria needs peace, unity, equity, justice and prosperity and the opportunity has come to vote for the genuine realisation of these ideals. The importance of equity, justice and fairness cannot be over-emphasised in this Nigeria of our time and age. The time has come to banish the historical cries of exclusion and/or marginalisation in our polity. This will ipso facto reduce to the barest minimum the ever-growing ethnic and separatist agitations.
Looking at the political parties contesting for these elections, Nigerians can find for the first time, a party with a rare combination of brilliant men who have been successful in both the private and public sectors of our beleaguered economy. Their credentials are unassailable in terms of competence, capacity, achievements, character, and compassion. They have not shown by their conduct in public and private lives that they are corrupt or greedy. Their humility is also genuine and undisputable. Above all, they are energetic and have age on their side with which they can connect very well with the youthful generation whom they have come to rescue from the clutches of bad governance plaguing this country for a long time now. A rare combination, these two gentlemen by their conduct of electioneering campaigns without bitterness and their display of the highest level of gentility, have demonstrated that they can be trusted and therefore given the benefit of doubt.
Nigerians have no choice but to vote for peaceful, united, equitable, just and prosperous country for the benefit of our children and grand-children. Posterity will not forgive us if we make a mistake this time around. Patriotic Nigerians should reject all those and their political parties who played major role in corrupting our present political order and made it what it is today.
•Prof. Isaac N. Obasi can be reached via nnamdizik@gmail.com.
