"2023: Desperate moment"

" 2023: Desperate moment \r\nToday marks the beginning of another year and ushers in the much-expected and critical election in the life of Nigeria.\r\n\r\nFrom now, electioneering activities are expected to peak with political actors and candidates intensifying campaigns and strategies to aid their victory at the polls.\r\n\r\nThis makes the year 2023 decisive for the Nigerian electorate, while ushering desperate moments for parties and their candidates vying for the various elective positions.\r\n\r\nMoreover, considering that from today, the presidential and National Assembly polls on February 25, 2023, are less than two months, the parties are truly in desperate moments, pushing and pulling their last games to ensure victory.\r\n\r\nOf course, building up to the elections, in the last few weeks, there have been increased alignment and realignments of politicians and political actors to political platforms and parties where their interest would be best taken care of.\r\n\r\nAlso, in recent weeks, various organisations and media platforms have initiated dialogues, debates, town hall meetings platforms for presidential candidates, to unfold their agendas and interact with Nigerians on how they intend to reposition the country in different sectors.\r\n\r\nSome of the presidential candidates have also taken extensive tours across the states and constituencies to have first-hand knowledge of the challenges that lie ahead of them if they are elected into office in 2023.\r\n\r\nAcross Nigeria, expectations are high among Nigerians that this election would be an opportunity to elect a credible leader that would reposition the country and set it on the path of prosperity, like its peers globally.\r\n\r\nHowever, with the campaign at full swing, observers are increasingly concerned about the desperation of politicians in the quest to win at all cost.\r\n\r\nIn recent weeks since the campaigns began, political motivated attacks, killing and violence have been on the rise across Nigeria.\r\n\r\nExperts say that the ploy by politicians to emerge victorious at all cost, poses a sizable threat to electoral integrity in 2023, despite technological advances.\r\n\r\nExperts and concerned Nigerians have charged candidates and Nigerians to concentrate on discussing issues rather than heating up the polity.\r\n\r\nDespite repeated promises by candidates at various levels to play by the rules, politically motivated violence and attacks have been on the alarming rise.\r\n\r\nSince October, reports of attacks or murder of politicians and clashes by candidates\u2019 supporters have been on the rise.\r\n\r\nSome weeks ago, gunmen killed Victoria Chintex, women leader of the Labour Party (LP), in Kaura LG of Kaduna State.\r\n\r\nJust two weeks ago, a Labour Party House of Assembly candidate, Christopher Elehu, was murdered in Imo State by suspected assassins in Onuimo Local Government Area.\r\n\r\nIn November, the convoy of Olajide Adediran, PDP gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, was attacked during his campaign tour of Badagry Local Government Area, with several people wounded and cars destroyed.\r\n\r\nMike Ejiofor, retired director, Department of Security Service (DSS), said that hate speech and violence are threats to the country in the build-up to the 2023 general election.\r\n\r\nEjiofor said that candidates should concentrate on discussing issues rather than heating up the polity.\r\n\r\nAccording to him, \u201cYou don\u2019t buy my vote, you don\u2019t buy the vote of Nigerians; what we should do as electorates is to vote our conscience.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf the people are doing well, you can vote for them and if they don\u2019t do well you can vote them out of power. So, when they bring money to you, collect it and vote your conscience. We must not vote for the person that did not do well.\r\n\r\n\u201cThere are security threats towards the 2023 general elections. There would be fake news, violence, personalities, health issues among others, instead of what the person wants to offer.\r\n\r\n\u201cSo, we must concentrate on discussing issues rather than heating up the polity.\u201d\r\n\r\nSimilarly, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) recently raised the alarm that desperate political actors that are out to win at all costs could disrupt the outcome of the 2023 polls if not checked.\r\n \r\n \r\n \r\n <iframe id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/147246189,21781351181\/businessday.ng_728x250_in_article_desktop_1_0\" tabindex=\"0\" title=\"3rd party ad content\" role=\"region\" name=\"google_ads_iframe_\/147246189,21781351181\/businessday.ng_728x250_in_article_desktop_1_0\" width=\"700\" height=\"150\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" aria-label=\"Advertisement\" data-google-container-id=\"3\" data-load-complete=\"true\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"> \r\n \r\n \r\n \r\nThe organisation also noted that worsening insecurity across the country also remains a threat to the polls.\r\n\r\nIdayat Hassan, CDD\u2019s director, in a statement, observed that the 2023 elections would be one of the most challenging elections to be conducted in the country.\r\n\r\nShe said: \u201cBoko Haram conflict that defined the 2015 election is yet to be quelled, but with bandits operating across the North West, violent secessionist agitation spiralling in the South East, and farmer-herder clashes ongoing across the country, the 2023 election is set to take place amidst nationwide insecurity.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe June 5 attack on a church in relatively stable Ondo State, in South West Nigeria, which saw more than 50 people killed, was a stark reminder of the insecurity challenges that will affect the safety of election materials and personnel, and a major challenge for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),\u201d Hassan said.\r\n\r\nSola Ogundimu, political analyst said impunity and collaboration between security agencies and politicians had aided the trend.\r\n\r\nOgundimu said there is a need for security agencies to rise to the challenge ahead of them.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe fact that we do not prosecute people who carry out these crimes is responsible for why they keep happening.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe hear candidates and politicians are killed every time, was there an arrest? We simply just talk about it for one or two days and move on, even the party where the murdered person belongs does not do anything.\r\n\r\n\u201cI think we need to do more. The security agencies need to be equipped, some of them even work with politicians to protect these boys who carry out these acts,\u201d Ogundimu said.\r\n\r\nPius Oiwoh, immediate past chairman, Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), dismissed speeches made by supporters to undermine candidates\u2019 chances ahead the 2023 presidential poll, saying that candidates will be assessed by their pedigree and track records that would be brought to bear to prevent the nation from collapsing.\r\n\r\n\u201cSocial media is now being used seriously to promote hate speeches about candidates. Sincerely, this time, I think people are not moved by what they say about anyone. People have made up their minds and will not be moved by those speeches.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe truth is that Nigerians are now getting wiser and irrespective of what people come to say or do to malign and undermine a particular presidential candidate; the moment people realize what we are passing through as a nation and where we hope to be, then they will know those speeches against candidates will not help anyone.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe truth be told, Nigerians have come to realize that for you to be able to lead this country to where we rightly desire to be, you must have the capacity. So, people are going to be judged by their pasts and not what people say,\u201d Oiwoh said.\r\n\r\nThe legal practitioner stressed that the 2023 election will afford Nigerians the opportunity to elect who will truly lead, steer the country\u2019s ship to safety and turn the tide of spiraling insecurity, dwindling economy and high level of corruption in the country.\r\n\r\nAccording to Oiwoh, \u201cNigerians cannot continue to be impoverished and go through such squalor and hardships that we have gone through over time. Our votes are our power, our votes are our strength to be able to do the right thing this time around. Otherwise, we will have ourselves to blame.\r\n\r\n\u201cNigerians are looking for a president who is ready to turn around our economy. Nigerians are fed up with a system that continuously assures us that it will reduce corruption. Corruption is even at its peak despite the anti-graft agencies we have. If the issue of corruption was tackled, I am sure, to a large extent, poverty and all forms of ills in the society that tend to undermine merit and undermine the principles that will allow equity and fairness would have been taken care of. So, we want a president who will guarantee us that corruption will be minimized in our society.\r\n\r\n\u201cOur economy is down; the ship is capsizing and we need a president who will guarantee us and steer the ship of this nation to a proper destination. The level of insecurity has assumed a worrisome direction. Painfully, when this administration of president Muhammadu Buhari came on board, it identified these three components, viz economy, corruption and insecurity as the major core areas. But, unfortunately, he could not achieve any of them. These are the areas that affect us as a people.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe time has come for us as a nation to walk the talk about corruption, economy and security. Many people have left the shores of this country and investors have relocated from this country. Even those who have the human capital, particularly medical doctors, are trooping out of the country.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe next president has so much to do and that is why we must look at the track records of the candidates to be able to determine who among them will rescue this country from going down the drain,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\nOiwoh opined that Nigeria, by nature, has talented citizens and is blessed with abundant natural and mineral resources but the leaders are the problems.\r\n\r\n\u201cNigerians have come to learn that the little money given to them will not sustain them for four years of bad leadership. People have learnt their lessons terribly. There are a lot of things that the immediate fund politicians give cannot cater for. I believe and I expect that Nigerians we see now will colle"

"2023: Desperate moment"

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