By Okpala Ugochukwu
OBIARUKU/Nigeria: Chidi Uwabuofu, a one time chairmanship candidate of SDP urged the leadership of all the political parties in Ukwuani, Ndokwa LGA’s and Nigeria at large to ensure merit and avoid what he called “electoral robbery” in picking the partys’ candidates at all levels for the 2019 elections.
Chidi said this in an interview on the 18th of May 2018 during the burial ceremony of late ma Tilije, the mother of Fidelis Tilije Okenmor, the commissioner for water resources, held at Obiaruku Delta State.
In his words, “What I detest most about politics nowadays is the imposition of moneybags and unmarketable individuals on the party which is a common feature of political parties in Nigeria. Imposition is evil and an electoral robbery that needs to be discouraged. This age-old practice is partly responsible for our political retrogression allowing mediocre and visionless individuals instead of sound minds to be at the helm of affairs. This time we need to get it right at party level, if we fail to do so, we will have ourselves to blame and will not have the moral justification to complain when things go south”.
Adding, he said “ordinarily, I don’t need to bother myself whether PDP or APC or any other party is imposing candidates but I have come to realise that whatever plays out in those parties have great implications for the life of the ordinary man in the street. No doubt, Nigeria’s socio-political problem is cultivated at the level of the political parties. If they fail to put forward the right candidates, everybody suffers. Pathetically too, today, some of the relatively new parties that have promised to right the wrongs of the big wits are imitating their bad ways. You can see my rationale for this plea”
He also urged all the leaders in all the political parties to give room for promising youths to express themselves politically and seek elective office even when they do not have the financial muscle to completely fund their electioneering activities arguing that in an ideal situation it would fall within the party’s responsibility to sponsor their candidates and not the other way round.
In his words “With due respect to elders that are already in, or interested in politics, I want to say without the fear of contradiction that it’s only the Youth that have what it takes to move our embattled country forward. Our youths are the ones that are most affected by bad leadership. The scourge of unemployment has made some to lose their precious lives trying to seek for greener pastures outside the country; all these are as results of inept leadership. My mother used to say that it is only he who feels that can appropriately explain what he feels. In the same vein, you don’t expect someone who doesn’t know what it means…to solve the problem of hardship. Logically, it is only our youths that can get us to where we really want to be”
“What still counts for the youths are that they have fresh ideas unlike the old counterparts. We cannot continue to depend on or trust old ideas and still expect different results. Therefore I urge the leadership of political parties in Ndokwa and Nigeria at large to give level playing grounds for all those interested in political participation especially the youths. However, I am very much aware that most of our youths do not have money and as such decided to bow out from politicking, I think that’s a wrong decision. In my own candid opinion, one does not necessarily need to be a millionaire to be relevant in politics but with determination and a clear vision. Before my participation in January 6th chairmanship election as SDP candidate, I was not a millionaire but…i properly articulated my ideas and vision, and solicited support from few well meaning individuals and convinced them to sponsor my ambition”
“Political parties should be responsible for sponsoring their candidates. In the developed world, individuals depend largely on their parties and their teeming supporters to help them to fund their electioneering activities. But in this part of the world, the reverse is the case. Individuals cater for themselves and even have to pay party officials to carry out their duties. Unarguably, this is the major reason why after election victory, they turn their backs on the people who elected them and spend their entire tenure recouping what they have spent while also aiming for personal gains. This why I christened Nigeria politics as a business —almost all the politicians vying for public offices are out there to make personal gains little wonder they invest large amounts of their personal money to ensure election success”.
“To move Nigeria forward, and to ensure political serenity, this mentality needs to be discarded. Political parties should wake up and live up to their responsibilities”
