2023 ELECTIONS: NIGERIANS SHOULD VOTE FOR COMPETENCE, NOT RELIGION, ETHNICITY – EX ANAMBRA LAWMAKER

REPORTER: ALFRED AJAYI

A former member of Anambra State House of Assembly, Chief John Olibie, has admonished Nigerians to look beyond primordial interests in electing a new leader for the country in 2023.

Chief Olibie, who was reacting to the current issues in the political ecosystem of the country, noted that with severe socio-economic challenges confronting Nigeria, only good governance, provided by a detribalized leader, would help to reverse the ugly narratives.

According to the former lawmaker, who represented Dunokofia State Constituency, “Government policies and programmes determine a lot in the economic growth in any country. So, I believe that if not for any other thing, Nigerians, due to the current economic quagmire, should vote in favour of competence.

“They should rise above petty ethnic and religious considerations. It does not matter where such competence is found, whether in the North or South, East or West. We cannot afford to perpetuate bad leadership and failure.”

Chief Olibie decried the poor inflation rating of the country among the ten countries with the worst inflation rates, a situation he blamed on running a mono-economy, which consumed without producing.

The former legislator pointed out that there was a nexus between political leadership and economic prosperity, hence his appeal to Nigerians to get ready to reclaim their country from those who had bastardised it over the years.

While urging everyone who does not have their permanent voter’s card to go and register for it, Chief Olibie appealed to INEC not to deny all interested Nigerians the opportunity of doing so.

“I am not comfortable with the July 31st deadline given by INEC for voter registration. I think the commission should allow those, who are interested and have presented themselves for registration to do so. Many are interested in the exercise. Some of them have been going for days without success. If you shut the door against those ones, exclusion is also not good for democracy,” Chief Olibie concluded.

EDITED BY CHUKWUBUIKE MADU