Presidential candidates: Ex-envoy charges parties to adopt egalitarian principles

A former Nigerian envoy to the Philippines and Algeria has told political parties in Nigeria to adopt egalitarian principles in fielding presidential candidates for the 2023 presidential elections.

Dr Orefo Onochie, who is also a chieftain of the PDP gave the advice while speaking with a political correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that adopting egalitarian principles would ensure fairness, equity and also give every segment of the country a sense of belonging as Nigeria looks forward to another presidential election in 2023.

According to him, it’s advisable for political parties, especially the ruling APC and the main opposition PDP to give their presidential tickets to Nigerians from ethnic groups that had produced a president since Nigeria returned to popular democracy.

The diplomat argued that it was critical “to give the Igbos a chance this time around to give them sense of belonging in the Nigerian project.’’

He argued that national integration was needed more than ever before in the country to engender national unity and oneness in the country.

Onochie warned that rejecting the zoning of the presidential ticket to the South in 2023 would led to irreconcilable divisions and estrangement in some of the parties, especially the PDP.

He also warned leaders of the PDP against rejecting the party’s constitution and zoning policy, saying that rejecting the policy would not only divide the party but also precipitate crisis in the party.

The PDP stalwart described the Gov. Bala Mohamed 14-member committee’s proposal on the zoning of the PDP presidential ticket for the 2023 presidential election as an aberration that would further divide the country.

Onochie also spoke on the need for the Federal Government to re-appraise the country’s youth policy to give youths a better future in Nigeria.

“We need to revamp our youth policies, especially the 48-year-old National Youth Service Corps programme and use it to elevate our youths.

“The #EndSARS protests in October 2020 are clear pointers to what we must avert by acting diligently now.’’

Onochie cited the high unemployment figure as released recently by the National Bureau of Statistics, saying that government needed to tackle youth unemployment and under-employment.

“Government must expand the spending capacity of Nigerians by injecting and infusing more money into the social and economic structures of the country.

This expansion can be used by the national economy to ginger and increase the prosperity levels and living conditions of the lowest rung of our population.

He pointed out that only about one per cent of Nigerians owned 99 per cent of the country’s wealth, advising government to rise up to the challenge.