The Youth in Nigerian Democracy:Choice of Whom to Vote for

We got less than a year to 2015 general elections and the tussle for power is reaching the very peak. Already,it's quiet glaring the President,Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is contesting for a second term...as usual,according to the PDP he is the only candidate in the PDP fold that can deliver the desired results,no one else can and in fact he was nominated UN-UPPOSED... (ridiculous kind of to me)...but that doesn't matter as the PDP has spoken as a party.
We are yet to hear from APC, the ONLY real opposition to the ruling party. They seem to be very cautious due to the very fragile nature of their relationship...it's a merger of quite a number of political parties with their various manifestos... no one wants to be cheated or outdone. This makes it very difficult for them to make a choice. Whatever,their choice is,I'm less concerned,rather,I'm more particular about our choice of candidate to vote for.
Politicians in Nigeria have successfully created a political system and atmosphere in which oppositions hardly get a fair chance at the polls...this is not peculiar to PDP,APC too adopts the same tactics of unfairness...a major example of what I'm talking about here is that of state owned media...you can hardly here of the opposition's campaign jingles on them...what you as always hear is the jingles of the ruling party...even in the federal level,this, unfortunately,is the norm.
Another very unfair tactic they employ to remain in power is the censor of all negative forms of news... I mean,it's quiet unfortunate to see that you don't get to hear all the news headlines from the state owned media...you have to go an extra mile to get all the juicy news headlines...this is particularly fraudulent due to the fact that the state media has the attention of the vast majority,hence,this delibrate act of burying some important news headlines keeps the public from knowing what is really happening around them.The state media has turned out to be a tool of propaganda as against its real goal of informing and educating the public. All you'll ever hear is the praise singing of the ruling party no matter how corrupt it might be,the news...in fact all the programs is favorable to the ruling party.No criticism is allowed... whether constructive or otherwise. There's absolute clamp down on freedom of expression.
Just a day or so ago,I heard over the radio the praise singing of an administration which even the presenter of the radio program knows very well hasn't really performed enough to be commended...I was like...kai! My point here is to let you know that both the APC & PDP are guilty of unfairly tweaking the instruments of government to avail them undue advantage over the opposition and unless something is done,nothing would really change...Nigerians would continue to suffer from underdevelopment. When there's no room for criticism, there's no check and balance for the government, hence,he get away with any crime especially, financial crimes since there's no one to ask questions and he,therefore, answers to no one...it's like anarchy to me!
In order to prevent the continuity of this unfair status quo,there is need for the youth to review how they decide who to vote for. In the last post,I discouraged the recipient of bribe as this unsettle the politicians and keeps them right on their toes,I shall build on that fact.
In addition to your refusal of bribes which both major parties have been found guilty of,it would be most imperative on you to consider the C.V. of the available candidates. What are their achievements so far...have they held a post of responsibility before,how did they fare,were they indicted of fraud or were they applauded for their selfless services...how many developmental projects have they been involved in,PERSONALLY...etc.
You see,unless you value your choice of candidates based on these and other noble criteria,you are most likely going to make a wrong choice. When you do,you would also be sending a message to both candidates. You would have successfully sent an indirect message that goes thus:
"Look,I don't care how able and capable you are for the elected post. I care more about your,tribe,religion affiliation and how much you can pay...my vote goes to the highest bidder!"
You don't have to say it...they say 'action speaks louder than voice'. Your action tells it all. If sentiments of what tribe I come from,my religion or how much I give as bribe are the criteria we hope to base our choice of candidate on,then,Nigerians shouldn't blame anyone but themselves if things get worse or it remains as it is.
We need to learn to think straight and more of our future than our present situation... we shouldn't let the little lack we experience today influence our choices at the polls adversely. We must make do away with such notion as "he is from my clan","we of the same religion","he is from the North,I can't vote for him","he is from the South,I can't vote". In their places,we should adopt such notions as "Even though he is from the South,I'll vote for him as he is more qualified than Mr A who is from my tribe","We may be of the same faith but I won't vote for him,because he hasn't done well in previous less demanding capacities","I would NEVER vote a candidate that offers a bribe for my vote,it is an obvious sign that he won't do well in office" and "So long he is a Nigerian with laudable achievements and very good track record of high performance in the past, I would vote for him!"
To cut the long story short,my messages are:
- Make it a duty to participate positively in every election
- Secure your permanent voter's card today,it's your power to hire or fire any politician
- Go out to vote as a matter of National responsibility and your contribution to development.
- Do NOT vote for whom ever it is that offers you a bribe...it's a BIG sign that he won't serve you but himself.
- Whoever offers a bribe for your vote does so to gain undue advantage,out of desperation to win by all means,don't fall for it.
- VOTE ONLY BASED ON PAST SUCCESS RECORDS AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS HE TOOK PART IN...THAT'S THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN TELL A CANDIDATE IS PASSIONATE AND DEVOTED TO SERVING YOU!
That very last point is in fact the MOST IMPORTANT MESSAGE I wish to pass today. You may wonder should none of the contesting candidates have the qualities as recommended above,what shall we do?
Well,my recommendation then,would be the rotation of candidates until you find a worthwhile candidate. LIKE THE PEOPLE OF OSUN, NEVER VOTE A CANDIDATE FOR A SECOND TERM UNLESS HE DOES WELL.
In the recently concluded gubernatorial elections,Ogbeni  AbdulRauf Aregbesola emerges as the winner NOT because he is the incumbent governor but because HE DID WELL DURING HIS FIRST TENURE! This was a shocker to members of the PDP as Osun people never returned an incumbent governor,NO ONE before Aregbe had a second term in office as governor... it has always been a single tenure... so,the PDP was hoping to bank on that,but,it didn't work out that way,despite the federal might of the PDP.
This goes to prove beyond reasonable doubt that even an annointed candidate of the president can loose an election if the people does not approve of him/her... it means that should the people stand their ground and talk with a single voice,no one can defeat them...not even a political godfather!
Osun now,is reaping the fruit of togetherness...oneness, unity of purpose and ideology... they got the very best from Aregbe in his first and decided to reward him with a second tenure! Nigeria as a country must adopt this tactic... the coming general elections is a test ground for us to do that... WE MUST SHUN ALL FORMS OF TRIBALISM DURING THE 2015 ELECTIONS... THE ONLY THING TO CONSIDER IN VOTING A CANDIDATE IS HIS TRACK RECORD AND NOTHING MORE...FORGET WHERE HE COMES FROM,SO LONG HE IS A NIGERIAN WITH A GOOD TRACK RECORD, WE SHOULD VOTE HIM IN.
We shall do more talking on the Presidential elections in my next issue... don't miss it!
Regards,
Abdurrahman,
07037595859,
http://moneymakingmachine-alchemy007.blogspot.com