A Wider Field Of Choice That Includes Independent Candidates Will Enable Nigerians To Wisely Choose Those Who Will Serve Them, Not Rule Them, Or Exploit Them In 2015
The dramatic fall in oil price is accentuating the suffering of the people of Nigeria under the joint leadership of PDP and APC in federal, state, and local governments of Nigeria. Today, serious security challenges and social unrest also face the nation.
Rather than close ranks to jointly deal with this state of emergency, the two major political parties, PDP and APC, are engaged in a full blown propaganda onslaught on the poor people of Nigeria. They are also engaged in verbal pugilism and mudslinging!
The propaganda onslaught in the media and online by the both political parties is meant to create an illusion of a difference between the two political parties. Nothing can be further from the truth. Birds of the same feather flock together. The back and forth movement of politicians from one party to the other attests to this.
They probably believe that lies shamelessly repeated will take on the semblance of truth.
The truth, however, is that the PDP and the APC are two sides of the same coin that has purchased poverty, penury, and perils for the people of Nigeria.
It is time for a change.
It is time for independent candidates to rise up to the challenge and contest for every elected office in 2015 to replace the APC and the PDP candidates, in presidential, vice-presidential, governorship candidates, and in other races.
I appeal to civil society groups to become actively engaged and to sponsor and support independent candidates whilst the opportunity presents itself and thereby become more proactive than reactive. Civil society groups can help shape the future of Nigeria rather than stay on the sidelines as mere spectators only to become reactive later to bad governance.
If either PDP or the APC party is allowed to win the presidency and other races through the barrage of propaganda, the exploitation of the minorities in the Southsouth will continue beyond 2015, and the nationwide misery and poverty will increase.
Propaganda, pugilism, or pontification that the PDP and APC politicians pursue, will not produce the progress needed to put food on the table of the populace.
Where will PDP and APC get the revenue to fund the government and end the over 50 years exploitation of the minorities in the Southsouth? How do they plan to fund the purchase the physical and security infrastructures that will promote security and socio-economic growth?
1. The PDP and APC do not plan to do social justice to the Southsouth people by ending the over 50 years of national exploitation of the region. I do.
2. APC is fielding General Buhari as its presidential candidate even though he was a part of the military establishment that abolished the regions and regional control of resources. I will restore control of resources to the states and fund the federal government principally from the taxation of the income of Nigerians worldwide. Nigerians worldwide have a gross annual income of the equivalent of one trillion US dollars.
3. APC has yielded to the blackmail and the bullying of the born-to-rule crowd to field General Buhari as its presidential candidate. The North has produced the president for 40 out of the 55 years since independence with nothing to show for it nationwide, more so in the North. As someone who was born in the North, but is of a southern heritage, and who deeply cares for both the North and the South, this is a huge disappointment and an embarrassment. The born-to-rule crowd must be shown, that in a democracy, there are no second-class citizens, all citizens being equal before the law!
4. APC and PDP are jointly responsible for the nation's poor socio-economy as their party affiliates are well represented in the federal, state, and local governments.
5. Taxation will provide a revenue that I have identified of up to $200 billion US dollars or N40 trillion naira for the federal budget which is about ten times the budget proposed by the PDP for 2015. I am not aware of any budget projection or proposal of the APC. With the magnitude of this revenue, the Southsouth can keep control of up to 100% of the oil revenue to be used as the people of the region deem fit!
I encourage more independent candidates for all positions in contention for the 2015 elections, including the presidency, to enter the fray. Independent candidates with principles, policies, and programs who can also show how the nation can pay for the services, socio-economic infrastructures, and security support the people need and desperately yearn should come out and contest for all elective offices in 2015.
This will elevate the political campaign from mere propaganda and mudslinging to a serious discourse on the issues confronting the nation, a contest of ideas on how to resolve them within the constraints of the resources available, and the levels of effort and financial sacrifice Nigerians are willing to make to transform Nigeria into a better place to live in a globally competitive world.
A wider field of choice that includes independent candidates will enable Nigerians to wisely choose those who will serve them, not rule them, or exploit them in 2015.
Abitunde Taiwo
A people-centered independent presidential candidate for 2015
http://www.thenigerianvoice.com/news/158895/1/a-people-centered-independent-presidency-will-enab.html