VAI is an NGO that encourages political participation. It is warning against using the same old formula of electing leaders in 2023
By Ishaya Ibrahim, News Editor
A non-governmental organisation, Voters Awareness Initiative (VAI), has urged Nigerians not to elect political leaders on the basis of religion, tribe and other sentimental considerations, saying it leads to retrogression.
In a New Year message signed by VAI president, Barrister Wale Ogunade says 2023 offers Nigerians the unique opportunity to change the fortunes of the country by electing people based on merit.
VAI is an organization that encourages the political participation of citizens.
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Ogunade says if the right people are elected into public offices, it would turn the fortune and future of Nigeria for the better politically, socially, economically, morally, psychologically and in all facets of life.
The VAI president says: “We cannot continue to do things the same way and expect a different result. We have conducted ourselves in a particular way, which is ELECTING the same set/class of people using sentiments, tribe, religion, quota, zoning, consensus and other mundane variables, to pick and or select candidates for elective offices. We can’t continue this way and expect to progress. A people or country that throw away merit and embrace mediocrity and sentiments cannot but retrogress. It is only in Nigeria, that the best is rejected in the process of head-hunting for political office, in particular.”
Ogunade says even though the process of head-hunting in Nigeria does not give room and opportunity to the best set of people to present themselves for leadership, and when sometimes they do, the system/ process emasculates them and scares them away, Nigerians must not be discouraged by that.
“To change this situation, we must all put our hands on deck, join hands together to partake fully in the electoral process. The time to start is now, the political train is about to move, INEC will soon roll out time table, there are about 18 recognised political parties and aside from two, all others have not organised their congresses and conventions, which means there is still opportunity for you to be involved in the 2023 ELECTION, AS AN ACTOR/PARTICIPANT and not cheerleader or critic,” the VAI president said.
He added: “The time to start is NOW! This is the time to organise and not agonise. The politicians, particularly the conventional politicians, have been organising and positioning themselves since 2020.
“The time to organise ourselves is now and we have to do it or we will be worse off again and the agony will be very grave.
“We will not talk about the economy and security now which does not need rocket science to solve, despite being an oil-producing country, we are not enjoying this God-given resource, this is akin to the child of a meat seller having bone as meat,” he said.