At Daily Trust dialogue, Tinubu, Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso, experts speak on way forward for Nigeria

The four main presidential candidates on Thursday in Abuja outlined their blueprint and how they will address critical issues if elected president in the upcoming elections.

Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Bola Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC); Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP); and Peter Obi of the Labor Party (LP), speaking at the 20th Daily Trust Dialogue organized by Media Trust Limited, publisher of the Daily Trust newspaper.

Theme: “Interrogation of the 2023 Presidential Agenda,” the program involved former governors, traditional rulers, diplomats, civil society groups, students, and academics.

The presidential election was held on February 25 with candidates from all political parties registered in the country on the ballot.

Speaking in the program for the country, Atiku said today Nigeria has dipped below all known standards – in social, economic, and political benchmarks.

“Our experience in the last seven years of APC government has made us doubt our strength as a people. The most important thing APC will be remembered for is how we failed to maintain the integrity of our unity,” he said.

Atiku promised that the first direction that “our government will take is to re-establish the principle of government on national unity.”

“For me, the coming election is not a winner take all exercise. On the contrary, it will be a winner with all because I will try deliberately to gain the confidence of all Nigerians while creating an atmosphere that makes all Nigerians own the government and the government.

“The movement to achieve national unity has become easier. And with our unity restored, it becomes easier to approach the challenges of security, economy, education, and other devolution of power,” said the former vice president.

Likewise, the APC candidate said, if elected, he will make life better for all, and a promising future for the youth.

“We will revive the economy, and the manufacturing sector and bring Nigeria back to the place of industrialization and job creation. We will create, produce and improve the quality of the goods and services we need,” said Mr. Tinubu, former governor of Lagos State.

“Nigeria will be known as a nation of producers and creators, not just consumers.

We will export more and import less to earn foreign exchange and strengthen the naira. We will provide food security and affordability by continuing to prioritize agriculture and help farmers and other players in the agricultural value chain through enlightened policies that improve productivity.

Then on the other hand, Mr. Kwankwaso of the NNPP stated that Nigeria needs a leader who will deal with insecurity, which is destroying the country.

“As it is now, we have more security problems, even in other parts of the country, especially in the north-west and even in the north-east. That is why we are increasing the number of the military and that is why we will provide special training, special equipment, relevant technology , etc. to combat the situation or insecurity in 2023 and up.

“And we believe that Nigeria has the numbers, they have the capacity and determination to ensure peace in this country and that is exactly what they are going to do,” Mr. Kwankwaso said.

He added: “With peace, you will see people coming to invest; you don’t have to go out and shout. They see the situation and that’s why they decided to leave the country for a more peaceful place.

In agreement with Mr. Kwankwaso, the LP candidate also said “the number one priority in Nigeria today is the issue of insecurity.”

Mr. Obi said: “Insecurity has become an existential problem for Nigeria. You cannot talk about being a country unless the country is secure. If you address insecurity, you will address food inflation, and we will immediately review and restructure the security architecture of the country.

On the economy, the LP flag bearer said, “I will move this country from consumption to production. Look at the vast land in the North. It is the most important fiscal asset of the country today.

The security state is worried

Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of Media Trust Limited, Kabiru Yusuf, said this year’s event was put together in the hope that Nigerians would learn what would prepare them for the twists and turns of the next few weeks.

He lamented the state of insecurity in the country, saying the government and security agencies must realize that in hundreds of towns and villages in the north-west and north-east of the country, bandits and kidnappings have made normal life impossible.

“It remains to be seen if people facing existential threats can wait in line to exercise their civic duties,” Mr. Yusuf said.

“In the South-East, the violent agitation by IPOB, which is usually directed against the police and INEC facilities and personnel, can cause entire communities not to vote. This deliberate disenfranchisement will be a separatist agenda and a doable prophecy.

“When you add this to the political vitriol online and offline; the dirty tricks campaign and dirty money making the rounds; it’s hard to imagine an election result that couldn’t be contested.

“Indeed, if we citizens ignore the provocation, Nigeria can be the main winner in the polls. It is in our collective interest to give a poor country, but a rich country, another chance to rise from the ashes,” he said.

On her part, Mary-Beth Leonard, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, said the US supports transparent and credible elections that reflect the will of the people in a peaceful process.

“The 2023 elections are an important opportunity for Nigeria – Africa’s most populous country and the continent’s largest democracy to cement its place as a democratic leader in Africa,” Ms Leonard said.

Ms Leonard said her country did not vote for a particular candidate but for a peaceful and transparent electoral process in Nigeria. He believes that elections are the foundation of democracy based on the legitimate transfer of power.

“But it is important for us to reflect the fact that since 1999, Nigerian voters have succeeded in demonstrating their democratic powers to choose the sixth leader of the country,” she said.

“For more than two decades, Nigeria has demonstrated to Africa and the world its strong commitment to peaceful, credible and transparent elections while many places in West Africa are facing challenges to the democratic process. For Nigeria, the rules of the democratic game are internalized and accepted.

The diplomat added that as election day approaches, “we call on political parties to keep their peace commitments and September 2022 promises.”

“The candidates will get another chance to affirm their commitment to the democratic process by signing the peace agreement before the election and accepting the election results.”

The US stands firm with the demands and desire of Nigerian voters for full transparency on election integrity, Ms Leonard said.

“Those who undermine or undermine the democratic process by any means including intimidation and violence may be found ineligible for visas to travel to the United States. We have taken steps in the past to impose US visa restrictions on those involved in spoiling the election process.

“We will also deny or revoke visas for those who are trying to undermine the upcoming elections. Visa records are confidential, we cannot and do not disclose the identity of those who are sanctioned, but I can say that I know people who travel to the U.S. blocked for that reason,” he said.

Drastic changes are needed

Also speaking, the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Onaiyekan, raised a question in the program asking “whether this election will bring meaningful changes in our nation.”

According to him, a relatively small group has run the country’s affairs mainly freely between two political parties that do not have a specific ideological identity but mainly a structure to seize power.

Mr. Onaiyekan said that if there is to be a change for the better, the change must be drastic.

“This cannot be business as usual. There needs to be a drastic change of orientation, especially in the concept and practice of political power characterized by politics as a sincere and honest service to the public good and not as a way and a means to seize power for personal interests.

“Let the professional riggers be informed that this time will not be as usual. This is not a threat, but a sincere warning and let those who have ears to listen,” said Mr. Onaiyekan.