By UKPONG Ukpong
Electorate in Akwa Ibom State have been amptly warned against making a colossal mistake in 2023. We do not need a governor with questionable academic records. The certificate scandal currently rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is a sign which voters should not ignore.
Any leadership contest is for the best contestant in all ramifications to emerge, nothing less. As such, a governship contestant who has to pay millions of Naira or dollar to lawyers to defend his or her credentials is a red flag for dishonesty, incompetence and poor leadership. If he or she can not be truthful in basic academic certificates how can we trust him or her to be accountable, transparent and prudent with our common wealth?
By extension, if a political party insists on putting up a candidate with controversial academic records as its governorship flag bearer, then Akwa Ibom electorate have the choice not to elect that candidate. We should not repeat the mistake of 2015, which brought former General Mohamed Buhari and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to power.
Regrettably, by voting Buhari into power, electorate ignored red flags and hinged their support on mere integrity; his controversial academic records was pitched against the sterling curriculum vitae presented by the incumbent – Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. After almost eight years of failed election promises, unprecedented economic downturn, worsening insecurity and growing threats of national disintegration, Nigerian electorate now understand that to enjoy good leadership, they must consider proficiency of the presidential candidate hence the clamour for Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed.
A political party should not determine the fate of citizens. Political parties are only special purpose vehicles, what matters are the candidates and the votes they get from voters. Many who argue that ‘Obidients’ do not have required structure to win election in Nigeria are ignorant of the ballot revolution brewing up like tsunami across Nigeria. Whoever witnessed the ‘end SARS’ protest which defied all conventional crowd disperal strategies for days, should be wiser.
Today, the thinking among young voters is different. And, they populate the nation’s demography. No sane youth would vote along party lines anymore when the dollar is playing a high stake roulette with Naira because we are still heavily importing despite promise of atleast 50% improvement in manufacturing and export. Youths today are creating employment for themselves while a so-called political party can not persuade the administration to meet basic needs like health, education and security.
If there is any lesson for Akwa Ibom electorate from almost eight years of poor leadership by APC, it should be that electorate must pay close attention to candidates’ records, especially academic records. He or she might have had below average in school – that is not the problem. What is very critical is that any allegation of falsification connotes dangerous character flaw and may be a premonition of bad leadership.
Integrity and humility are acceptable virtues in leaders, but can not replace cognitive discipline with valid certificates as proof. We’ve seen examples from late Obafemi Awolowo, late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, former president Goodluck Jonathan and even from vice president Yemi Osinbajo, the few times he had opportunity to work as acting president.
We should all embrace the ballot revolution. Enough of that balderdash about divine revelation, we are not fools! How would we explain such decline in standard for governorship to our children? So, in the entire population of nearly 5.5 million Akwa Ibomites, a man with alleged falsified academic records would become a governor? How about that as motivation to our kids?!
