If Nigerians were disturbed by the exorbitant cost of nomination and expression of interest forms in the country’s two major political parties, the unfolding farce involving the sheer number of presidential hopefuls has left them absolutely perplexed.
It is unbelievable that in a country ranked as the world capital of poverty and where many state governors do not pay the N30,000 minimum salary, close to 40 hopefuls have already announced for president and picked up nomination forms in the main parties alone.
Among those who have picked up the N100 million nomination forms in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, APC National Leader, Ex-governor Bola Tinubu; Senate President Ahmad Lawan, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole; Governor Dave Umahi, Governor Mohammed Badaru, Governor Kayode Fayemi, Governor Yahaya Bello, Governor Ben Ayade, Senator Rochas Okorocha, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Ibikunke Amosun.
Six members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet are still vying for the top seat in the APC. They are Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Transportation; Emeka Nwajiuba, Minister of State for Education; Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs; Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Minister of Science and Technology; Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment; and Timipre Sylva, Minister of State for Petroleum. Pastor Tunde Bakare and Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim are also on the list of APC presidential candidates.
At least 15 presidential hopefuls have been screened by the largest opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and have received nomination forms worth N40 million.Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President Pius Anyim, and former Senate President Bukola Saraki are among them. Others are former Governor Ayodele Fayose, Governor Nyesom Wike, Governor Udom Emmanuel, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Governor Bala Mohammed, former Governor Peter Obi; ex-President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mr. Sam Ohuabunwa; Publisher, Ovation magazine, Chief Dele Momodu; Charles Ugwu, Chikwendu Kalu, Teriela Oliver and Mr. Mohammed Hayatudeen.
Naturally, the hopefuls, even governors who owe workers pension and salary arrears and whose jurisdiction has few excellent roads, have abandoned all pretenses of government and are crisscrossing the 36 states recruiting delegates for their parties’ upcoming presidential primary. They have saturated the airwaves with banality, providing no compelling rationale for their goal, believing that Nigerians are easily duped. They have produced rallies and presentations in which they have repeated the same old lies that they have told Nigerians in previous election seasons. One significant question raised by the ongoing display, which a Nigerian pop artist, Peter Okoye of the P-Square music group, has described as a “beer parlour declaration,” is why there are an unprecedented number of presidential hopefuls.
To be sure, we do not question the aspirants’ democratic right to run for president. That right is protected by the constitution and cannot be denied. Nonetheless, there are moral, ethical, and philosophical considerations surrounding a country’s leadership, and we are concerned about the army of characters who have declared for president, turning an otherwise serious institution into entertainment. To say the least, the glamour around the position of president has been demystified by the primarily juvenile campaign speeches, immoral behavior, and grim record of many of the so-called candidates. Of course, this is not difficult to explain. The present occupant of the workplace appears to have reduced it to his uninspired level. The thinking among many a politician is “if Buhari could be president, why can’t I?” It is most unfortunate.
The governor or former governor who does not wish to be president is now the uncommon, even if the people who elected him are suffering under the load of his lousy leadership. The scenario is similar for ministers and other types of political officeholders. Everyone wants to be president, even if it’s merely to have a leg up on political patronage in 2023. It is apparent that these aspirants have low regard for the people they currently manage and aim to govern in a higher capacity despite making a complete mess of their current assignment. How exactly can the electorate reward failure with a larger mandate?
The president and the discourse surrounding it should be honored. It is the highest office in the land and should not be open to all, especially considering Nigeria’s significance in Africa and beyond. Unfortunately, there has been no heightened discussion. What a calamity!
Tribune
