By Lateef Adebite
When Mahmood Yakubu, a Professor, and Chairman, Independent National Electoral omission, INEC, lifted the ban for political Campaigns for the 2023, general elections, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, and Candidates of the other 17 other Political parties registered by INEC, for the 2023, general elections, saw it as an opportunity to sell their Manifestoes to the electorate.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos state and APC, Flag bearer,who has promised to continue with the legacy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration had promised ‘‘to focus in tackling the country’s security, economy, agriculture, Education, transportation , oil and gas sectors challenges.
He had said that ‘‘if elected as the next Nigeria, President, including making huge investment in sports entertainment and culture and entrepreneurship to expand job opportunities for millions of Nigeria youths to win the heart of the youths.
Atiku Abubakar, a former Nigerian Vice President, and now Presidential Candidate of the Opposition People’s Democraty Party, PDP, had promised to tackle the country’s security challenge and reposition the economy, as part of his blueprint to rescue Nigeria from the over seven years of APC , misrule.
He as said to have also promised to create jobs for the youths and end the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, which had forced the students to proceed on forced holiday, for much of 2022 to return the students to school, if elected the next Nigeria President.
He may have expected that t the students would still be on the forced holiday until after the 2023, general elections but got it wrong. Chris Ngige, a former governor of Anambra state and minister of Labour and Employment and the Katsina born Nigerian President may have proved him wrong as the students are back to school as the Nigerian President had made provision for N470 billion for the revitalisaton of the Federal Universities and Salary enhancement of the University Lecturers.
Many had expected Atiku, the PDP, Presidential Candidate, to work closely with the government, to resolve the ASUU crisis, instead of turning the University Lecturers strike, into a Campaign issue, meaning that he had expected the strike to extend to 2023 to use it to shine, if he wins the 2023, Presidency.
While meeting the Delta state delegates in Asaba, the state Capital, in the presence of Senatot Ifeanyi Okowa, the party, Vice Presidential Candidate for the 202, general elections, he has promised ‘‘to restructure Nigeria if elected the next President of Nigeria after the 2023, general elections, which may not be possible if the Opposition PDP, fails to get the mandatory two-third majority in the National Assembly in 2023, because it is a Constitutional issue.
This is where Tinubu, the APC, Presidential Candidate appears more tactful in responding to Organisation’s demands. Take for instance when he appeared before the AREWA, a northern socio-cultural Organisation in Kaduna, who had made a demand for state police to be approved for the region if electedas the next Nigerian President since Buhari could not do it. he had made them to understand that for ‘’state police to tackle insecurity in the region it can only be achieved through amendment of the 1999, Constitution, that will require ‘‘the collective support of all stakeholders including the National Assembly and socio-economic Organisations’’.
Peter Obi,’sthe Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate, may have known that the problem of the country of the country at present , go beyond tackling the country security challenges, power conundrum, economy, education, to healthcare delivery, that he has promised ‘‘to solve the country’s flooding problem, if elected into power in 2023. The Buhari Administration had said that it will take 30 years to solve the problem, clearly showing that he does not have the capacity to do it.
According to the National Emergency Management Agency, NIMA, over 600 lives in Nigeria, and millions of people were displaced in the 20 flooded state, particular, the 14 most affected states, who now seek refuge in Internally Displaced People’s Camps scattered across the country. NIMA, officials may have dampened the enthusiasm of Nigerians of having affordable food prices between now and 2023, as many farmlands washed away by the floods.
This may have informed why the former Anambra state governor, who, analysts had said appears realistic, had promised to support the Nigerian farmers by putting in place the right measures that will be implemented so that Nigeria can feed itself like the developed economies.
He was said to have assured the electorates in all the states visited for his Campaigns that if elected as the next President of Nigeria, ‘’farmers will go back to farms as the new government will deal decisively with insecurity and support the youths.
Adebayo Adewole, the Social Democratic Party, SDP, Presidential Candidate, whose party, came second, in the last June governorship election in Ekiti state, south western Nigeria, has promised that if elected as the President of Nigeria after the 2023, general elections, he deploy technologies such as ‘‘block chain and crypto currencies as well as ‘‘go into partnership with over 2,000 Companies to create 30 million jobs’’.
Appearing on Channels Television on Sunday, November 6, 2022, Adewole, had said that the creation of the 30 million jobs in the country if elected the next President is part of his plans ‘‘to reduce the country’s unemployment, which the PDP, was unable to do in its 16 years of rule of the country and which the current APC, government, could not do.
As a prelude to creating the 30 million jobs, the SDP, Presidential Candidate, may have taken advantage of his recent appearance on Channels Television to give an insight on how the party intend to create the 30 million jobs. Given an insider information, he had said that thy have looked at the various sectors of the country’s economy ranging from the agro-allied, energy, infrastructure, health, education to other social services sectors of the economy and came to the conclusion that it can be done with the right policies.
Omoyele Sowore, publisher of Sahara Reporters, an online publication, based in NewYork, in the North American country of the United states, US, and Flag bearer of African Action Congress, AAC,had promised that his government will ‘’ give top priority to education and will make it free at all levels if he comes to Power in 2023.
Education according to a Chieftain of the party‘‘is one of the key promises of the AAC in its Manifesto’’. He had given his words that the AAC, government would keep to the promise of guaranteeing free education at all levels because ‘‘the money is there’’, insisting that he has ‘‘the knowledge to manage nation’s economy’’.
He may have shocked Nigerians when he revealed that ‘‘the money siphoned from the country’s coffers in the past 16 years is enough to have support for free education in this country or to support it for the next 50 years and 100 years. Comparing Nigeria, with other oil- producing countries, particular, United Arab Emirates, UAE, ASaudi Arabia and Iran, Sowore, the AAC, Presidential Candidate had said that ‘’Nigeria is lagging behind’’ these Arab countries
The AAC, Candidate, was said to have also promised in his Campaigns ‘‘to decentralize the nation’s power sector if elected as the next Nigeria President after the 2023, general elections, in order to generate 24,000 megawatts of electricity in the next four years.
He noted that not less than four million jobs will be created by his Administration in the next four years if given the opportunity to rule the country. He had described past and present government ‘‘Privatisation as a scam’’, stressing that the privatized government Companies may not have been working as expected because they were acquired by the beneficiaries with stolen government money’’.
There is no gain Saying the fact that the foursome: Obi, Adebayo, and owore, Presidential Candidates of the LP, SDP, andAAC respectively , had promised Nigerians what they believe could be achieve with ease without much ado if elected into office in 2023, compared to what Tinubu and Atiku, the Presidential Candidates of the APC AND the PDP, had promised to do if elected into office, meaning that most of the electioneering Campaign promises would die a natural death as they may may never see the light of day , let alone been fulfilled.
