QUALITIES OF AN IDEAL PRESIDNTIAL CANDIDATE

Pastor Tunde Bakare’s position that “Nigeria is at a pivotal crossroad” as stated in his 2023 State of the Nation Broadcast on Sunday,15th  January 2023 is not an exaggerated opinion especially with the intriguing rhetoric scavenging her electoral process. Although there had been a long-standing attempt by preceding leaders including the incumbent to change the status quo, crime and criminality are still on the rise in the polity exposing innocent citizens to intense hardship and deep despair . With the recent monetary policy introduced by the incumbent, the situation is now at its breaking point.

To further compound these issues, a systematic survey across the length and breadth of the nation reveals that there is a strong sense of disconnection among the leaders of dominant democratic parties leading to moments of great dysfunction in the land. To be circumspect, these prevailing issues around the Nigerian top politicians have further intensified the scourge of terror in the nation. This has a special significance as Nigeria has been dominantly projected on the world’s map as a nation that has a very high violent environment instead of the glorious “Giant of Africa that it used to be”.

Still, in the face of all these seemingly complex issues, Nigerians are graciously settling to toll another dynamic historic path come the 2023 electoral process. Ultimately, Nigerians’ bravery in the demonstration of their patriotism to their fatherland must be applauded. Truth be told, Nigerian citizens are confronted with the dilemma of coming out en masse amidst heightened incredible tension to go to the poll to participate in the voting process or face further dire systemic problems. The only option is to choose a credible leader who will steer Nigeria towards regaining its prominent position at least among the African states.

Thus, the focus of this article is to x-ray the qualities of an ideal presidential candidate for the 2023 Nigerian election with a view to redirecting the mindset of the noble citizens of this great nation, Nigeria, to heed this clarion call to carefully reconsider their choice of candidacy and to collectively rise to the task to cast their votes at the poll in order to salvage the future of our beloved nation and our posterity.

It is therefore pertinent for Nigerians to note that no ideal presidential candidate that has the interest of Nigerians will ever try to bribe any citizen of this nation to vote for him or her. Nigerians should never give any politician the opportunity to deceive them anymore. As citizens, we have suffered dominant wave of terrible attacks as a result of bad leadership. Thus, Nigerians should use their votes wisely to be able to redeem the destiny of this great nation.

In this regard, any Nigerian with a sound moral conscience will literally know that Nigeria needs a total transformation. The question then is: who is the ideal candidate for this reformation? This question is succinctly captured in these questions projected in pastor Tunde Bakare’s 2023 State of the Nation Broadcast…”who among these candidates offers the best guarantee of a Nigeria that works for every Nigerian? Is there perhaps a dark horse among those not considered main contenders who offers the best path to our aspirations as a nation? Still, is there any Nigerian out there who possesses the qualities that our nation needs at this time but who, due to the kind of politics that is prevalent in Nigeria, does not have his or her name on the ballot?”…

These questions expose the fact that there are a lot of factors that should be considered before the ideal presidential candidate is elected. If these factors are not critically examined, it may be remotely possible for a credible candidate to emerge. However, Nigerians should be aware that any wrong choice of candidacy will result to dire consequences. Therefore, people should not be biased about making the right choice. In like manner, any politician that exhibits or has the tendency to encourage bigotry should not be allowed to gain access to the system. There are many stances to this vice in the sense that this attribute can manifest through religious, age, ethnic etc. intolerance. Consequently, any party that practices “selectional politics” is also guilty. Such a party does not allow the right candidate to emerge hence favouring one religious or certain candidate from the preferred ethnic, age, or religious background. This means that such a party cannot produce the ideal candidate. In other words, any candidate that cannot tolerate other people from other religious or ethnic backgrounds does not have the capacity to unite Nigerians, especially with her diverse background.

Only the candidate with a proven track record of national development should be elected and given the opportunity to scale up past projects. This candidate should be one that has the positive mindset to stir Nigeria in the right direction. A candidate that qualifies as the ideal presidential candidate for 2023 election should have all that it takes to unite Nigerians.

 In summary, our focus should be to elect the credible candidate with excellent records. He/ she should be a reputable leader who will lead Nigeria to a great future. This is our only chance to vote into power that candidate that will correct the abnormalities in the system. We must not gamble with our vote.

Dickson Chinma Ihejirika(Mrs.),

Founding Editor, TGCN.

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