By: Olajide Oladokun
Elections are significant, indispensable rituals in any democratic country. It is a period when the electorate rekindle their hope for a better country, as politicians present lofty promises in exchange for votes. However, after 23 years of uninterrupted democracy, we have never experienced a free and fair election; what we’ve always had are elections based on ethnic and religious sentiments, vote-buying, and popularity tests. Never has a president been voted based on what they have to offer the electorate. The freest we have had was that of 2015 when a Daura farmer promised us change, we swallowed the lies hook, line, and sinker chanting ‘Sai Baba’ but now the country is hooked and on the verge of sinking. In one of Folarin Falana’s (Falz) lyrics, he said, “We buy your story, but you no give us change.” Maybe we got the change, but it’s definitely not a palatable one. This should make us evaluate all candidates carefully and think through circumstances surrounding their candidacy before we cast our votes in 2023? Age? Health? Ideas? The usual narrative?
Recently, there have been arguments on whether age is a determinant factor in leadership and its possible implication on the 2023 election. Using the incumbent president as a case study, many people find it easy to blame his poor performance on his health status hence, the clamor for a younger and healthier president. Reflecting on the country’s history, Nigeria has had 14 presidents, 8 of whom were soldiers and two who served both military and civilian eras. Of these leaders, Yakubu Gowon was the youngest; he rode to power on a military coup at the age of 31. While history has it that he committed numerous crimes against humanity, including overseeing a genocide against the Southeastern people in the civil war of 1967-1970, he always claims his leadership saved the country from breaking apart. Gowon is a testament that age might not necessarily be a determinant of good leadership.
These past few days, not less than ten persons have thrown their hat in the ring, indicating their interests in the country’s top political position; there we have a kingmaker who suddenly is interested in being king himself; he is ready to challenge a former Vice President who is undeterred by the failures of the administration he served. Also in the race are past senate presidents, a former speaker of the house of representatives, past and current state governors, among many others. Many of those on that list are recycled leaders who have run the country aground, as well as those that have proven over and over again to be political misfits yet, want another chance to finish what they started. The only greenhorn among the competitors, is Khadijah Okunnu-Lamidi, a 38 years old media personality from Lagos who was “motivated to contest for the presidency because of her desire to rekindle hope and make Nigeria work for all Nigerians.” She is undoubtedly the best candidate for #EndSARS political activists and other ageism theorists.
Governor Seyi Makinde, who has failed woefully in his primary task of protecting the people of Oyo state, also admonished that old people should not be voted for in the upcoming election. His counterpart in Bauchi State, Bala Mohammed also share the same sentiment when he sent a piece of unsolicited advice to Atiku Abubakar, asking the latter not to contest in the 2023 elections. For them, it will save the country’s economy from footing their president’s foreign hospital bills; it will also prevent having a president who is not always around owing to health issues; their arguments are built on age and health. However, for the anti-ageism theorists, it is a square-peg-in-a-round-hole situation; they believe experience is needed and should not be sacrificed for youthfulness. They are strongly convinced that the fragile peace and unity of the country require the calmness of mind of a master craftsman more than the untested energies of an unknown hand.
Away from age, ageism, and theories, as idea rules the world, our ideal president should be one full of ideas and connectivity traits that bind past Nigeria with the present one to give us a desirable future. In simple terms, Nigeria needs a president who has an overview of Nigeria’s problems and has ideas on how to solve them. What we should be interrogating about these aspirants is whether the values that they represent are what would set Nigeria on the path of change or their candidacy will be mere ‘déjà Vu. Majority of Nigerians agree on the urgent need to restructure the country. What we probably disagree about are the terms and conditions of such restructuring. And, amongst all those currently jostling for the position of president in 2023, no one has enunciated restructuring, or maybe we should wait till they officially present their plans.
Actually, it wouldn’t hurt to make speculations of their plans since we are all aware of Nigeria’s problems, and we know their manifestos will be tailored to tackle those issues. Their manifestos won’t be devoid of promises like creating jobs and reducing unemployment, raising education standards and allocations, ensuring and fostering unity among the diverse ethnic groups in the country. So, we should be more concerned about what magic they have in their kitty to disarm the monsters of corruption, terrorism, poverty, and unemployment that have eaten deeply into the fabric of the country. Then, if they after all fail in their discharge, posterity will record it that for once Nigerians voted in a president based on experience and expertise and not the usual he-is-my-kinsman, he-was-once-a-good-head-of-state, or a-bag-of-rice-per-vote criterion.
As a parting shot, I am not against having a young president; all I’m saying, in essence, is that we should not bother ourselves with trivialities of age or any primordial issue but begin to interrogate ideas that each aspirant presents when vying a political office, not forgetting that, “This process of election affords a moral certainty that the office of President will seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.”- Alexander Hamilton, American Politician and Founding Father of the U.S.
