Don’t vote along party structures, group warns Nigerians

The Executive Director, Godspeed Leadership and Mentorship Development Initiative, Habila Kayit, has asked the electorate in the country not to consider party structures as they go out to vote in February’s general elections.

Habila gave the charge in a press statement he personally signed and issued to The PUNCH on Tuesday in Kaduna State.

He said Nigerians must be intentional to look at the pedigree and antecedents of the choice of leaders they would vote for, for the betterment of the country.

“The era of voting candidates based on their political parties is over. Citizens must seek to hear from every candidate seeking for any political office other than the top to bottom syndrome.

“Some of the primaries conducted by political parties were skewed to the advantage of money bags and anointed candidates of god-fathers to the disadvantage of must qualified and acceptable aspirants,” Habila decried.

He explained that accepting to vote along party lines indicated that citizens had signed to endure bad governance for another four years.

He noted that Nigerians must accept the fact that citizenship came with privileges, duties and responsibilities, adding the major stakeholders in every election were the people.

“Nigerians must exercise their franchise by voting candidates with clear cut strategies to return the country back to the people. Therefore, citizens must reject every form of enticement to cause security breach but make resolve to support all electoral stakeholders to deliver a secured hitch-free elections,” he said.

According to him, going by Nigeria’s population, those who determine the future of the country were very few minority who understood the weaknesses of the people as it related to politics and governance and inability to remain united in demanding for a better system.

“However, there is hope going forward as we experience attitudinal change from the quest to get voter’s card registered collection of voter’s card, political education and electoral system enhancement among others.

“Citizens should not keep their voters card for the use of identification and account upgrade alone, let us use it to make a historic statement and save our nation from corrupt and bad leadership,” he added.

(Punch)