February 24, (THEWILL) – A frontline governorship hopeful of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Akwa Ibom state, Mr. James Iniama has prayed fervently that elections that would enable the country to transit to a new government would be held in 2023 without rancor.
Iniama was responding to questions by some journalists on the threats by the national commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye that the 2023 general elections in Nigeria might be postponed if the President Muhammadu Bihari fails to assent to the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill by last Tuesday, February, 22nd, at the Victor Attah international Airport, while returning to the state from Abuja.
THEWILL recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had said it may be forced to postpone the 2023 elections if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to assent to the reworked Electoral Act Amendment Bill by Tuesday, February, 22nd.
INEC national commissioner and chairman of Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, whose threats which was reported on the national media, said there were some fundamental timelines in the new electoral bill that will fundamentally affect the electoral legal framework if further delayed.
The seasoned estate surveyor and valuer, expressed optimism that the necessary adjustments would be done to ensure that general elections are held and creditably in 2023.
“I must say that I’m not pesimestic about such, it has not been experienced in the country before; that it was time and election could not be held for any reason. I’m only optimistic and pray fervently that election that would enable the country to transit into a new government will be held. I am confident that they would be elections in 2023.” He expressed.
The 2007 governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) expressed utter disappointment at the level of insecurity and economic degradation experienced in the country within the last seven years of the present administration even as the leaders at the national are complacent about the situation, saying there was need for change latest 2023.
“As much as I believe in the unity of the nation Nigeria and it’s oneness, prosperity and peace; I regret terribly that within the last eight years, with Buhari, a Northerner as the president of this country, we have experienced the highest level of insecurity ever known in the history of this country, we have have experienced the highest level of economic hardship, there has been all manner of degradations in the values that we stand for.
“I have seen that our president and the Northern leaders act complacently to the things that are happening. They have only termed it terrorism but there are no clear cut attempt to address the activities of those perpetrating violence in the country,” he explained.
On the issue of power shift and agitations that presidency be zoned to the Southern part of the country, come 2023, Iniama reasoned that apart from the question of balance and equity in power distribution, the country needs a president who would come as a Nigerian president and a father who would embrace all as one.
“If we want to talk about balance in the distribution of power, I would say yes; we have had a president from the North for the past seven years, it would be eight years on the 29th of May 2023. For that reason, we should have a president from the southern part of the country.
“But what is most important is having someone who would come as a leader, a servant, a builder, a patriot, loving the nation. Not a tribalist, not an ethnic jingoist, not a religious fanatic. We have such persons everywhere in Nigeria but I’m taught to love myself and my neighbors. That person should come from the Southern part of the country, Iniama expressed.
The governoship hopeful, who professes to be the friend of the youths frowned at the situation where youths are not given the opportunity to take part in what comes to the table at the community levels, saying that such has been the cause of the occasional unrest by the youths.
He urged leaders in different capacities especially at the community levels to give the youths the sense of belonging that would give them conference in the leadership, noting that lack of confidence in leadership is always the foundation to what is seen as unrest.
“My appeal will be that we need peace to come out of the situation we are now; we have experienced the kind of inflation as never before, insecurity, we have lost count of the number of people we lost almost on a daily basis, we should learn to resolve our issues peaceably amongst ourselves and see how we can regain our place in the committee of nations,” Iniama pleaded.
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