Nigerians have been advised to “open their eyes widely” in the choice of leaders because the dream for a greater Nigeria can only be realised through the enthronement of responsible democratic government.
They have also been advised against selling their votes but to vote wisely in the forthcoming elections.
The advice was given in separate interviews with BusinessDay by Pat Utomi, a political economist, and Olisa Agbakoba, a senior advocate of Nigeria.
Utomi, who deplored the failure of governance in the country, said it would take the Nigerian voting masses to change the narrative in 2023, adding that deliverance would come from nowhere but from Nigerians themselves.
Quoting Saint Augustine’s famous words that “God who created you without you will not save you without you,” the founder of Centre for Values in Leadership, said: “The God who put you in Nigeria without asking your permission will not solve the Nigeria problem without your efforts.”
Utomi, who also urged eligible Nigerians to get registered to vote and speak up when things are not going the way they should go, said: “I hope and pray that people will work and pray so that we can make progress in 2023.”
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Agbakoba, who spoke with BusinessDay in his office Tuesday, said the success or otherwise of the 2023 general election would depend on the attitude of the Nigerian voting population.
“People must make a statement with their votes. If you sell your vote, at the end of the day, don’t complain,” he said.
Utomi and Agbakoba spoke against the backdrop of allegations that politicians had stockpiled huge amounts of money, to compromise voters.
Ahead of the 2023 general election, activities are mounting in Nigeria as political parties and politicians are getting ready for their primaries.
In a release of ‘Schedule of Activities and Timetable’ by the All Progressives Congress (APC), signed by Suileman Muhammad Argungu, national organising secretary of the party, the APC said its special convention for presidential primaries would hold from May 30 to June 1, 2022.
