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Strange things continue to happen at the Nigerian political scene on daily basis, which help any thinking person to understand why development, especially the provision of social amenities, continues to elude us. Year in, year out, we behave like cursed people by putting forward for elections men and women who have demonstrated gross incompetence in leadership and then position the real competent and capable people who have demonstrated astute leadership to help them win elections. And after the elections, the ordinary person continues to suffer in an endless cycle.
For instance, since I chanced on the document containing the Cross River State All Progressive Party Local Government Campaign Coordinators for the 2023 General Elections, I’ve just been wondering why tested and trusted men like Prof. Zana Akpagu (Coordinator for Obudu) and Dr. Godwin Amanke (Coordinator for Obanliku) were not encouraged by the party to vie for the senate seat for the Northern Senatorial District of Cross River State? In Bendi II where I come from, names like Jarigbe, Akpagu and Amanke are talked about with deep respect, gratitude and reverence. Their contributions to the development of the ward speak for themselves. So, a contest between Jarigbe and Akpagu or Jarigbe and Amanke would have been a very difficult one, one that would have pitched character, competence, capability and courage in one party against same qualities in the other major parties.
But for some strange reasons, the party gave the ticket to a candidate that will be difficult to sell in many wards of the District. In Bendi II, for instance, there is no single project standing in his honour after four years as senator and almost eight years as governor. I don’t think such a candidate should be the appropriate choice for a people so systematically neglected and in dire and urgent need of development.
As it stands, there should be no confusion about the choices before us since we are voting for candidates and not tested and trusted campaign coordinators and directors. We need to shun tested and failed, tested and distrusted candidates who will again fail to deliver the dividends of democracy to our people in all of our denominational, gender, party and ethnic configurations.
Dave Imbua.
DISCLAIMER: The opinion expressed in this article is clearly that of the author, Dave Imbua and does not represent TheLumineNews or it staff.
