2023: VOTE FOR PARTY BECAUSE OF CANDIDATES, NOT CANDIDATES BECAUSE OF PARTY
By Imo Ben
Gone are the days party affilliations made us take foolish decisions like voting blindly for persons, only to end up, most times, weeping afterwards in regret. That was when we voted for politically handicapped and incapacitated candidates simply because they belonged to certain parties.
This time, the forthcoming General Election will be uniquely different. To start with, most popular aspirants who were dubiously schemed out of their party nominations, especially by the major parties have done the unexpected. Unlike in the past, they did not simply retire home or stage endless protests; rather, they have adopted other party platforms to pursue their aspirations to conclusion.
The point to note is that parties are mere vehicles for actualization of political power. Therefore, though those alternative platforms may be unpopular at first sight, nevertheless, because of the popularity of those candidates, they will assume the toga of popularity and will eventually be attractively patronized. Yes, they will prosper because the purpose they serve is to ensure that the voice of majority ignored by tyrannical parties is heard through them when victory is gotten at the polls during General Election.
Accordingly, emphasis should be more on who is competent and has the pedigree. We need someone with obviously proven political leadership capacity and experience to rescue Akwa Ibom people from the current dehumanizing situation where hunger, poverty, lamentation and discontentment are reigning supreme over the citizens.
The electorate do not need to stick to a party for the sake of mundane emotional attachment to the big names in them. , Party logos are here symbols, and how long someone has been fraternizing with a party is of no significance if there is no socio-economic impact. This time, we need a grassroot politician who cares about the plights of the people.
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