Emerged presidential candidates must undergo serious capacity, health, and ability tests before the 2023 general elections, to avoid future disaster, calamity, and health challenges.
This suggestion was contained in a press statement issued in Lagos yesterday, by renowned socio-political activist and critic, Chief Adesunbo Onitiri.
He warned: “If we must salvage our country from total collapse and looming disaster, Nigeria needs a world-class administrator and visionary leader now, more than before.
“We earnestly need a good, agile, and heathy president that can rescue us from imminent calamity.
“Therefore our next prospective leader to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari next year should first and foremost undergo DRUG TEST to be conducted by our NDLEA to ascertain he is mentally fit and capable to manage the bad affairs we already found ourselves,” Onitiri emphasised.
He also recommended that Nigeria’s next president should undergo medical fitness to ascertain his ability, physical capable to withstand the rigours, mental alertness, and enormous stress the job entails.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should conduct a diligent integrity test on our incoming President, governors, national and states legislators to ensure we do not vote in fantastically corrupt individuals, so as not to worsen our already deplorable economic situation, Onitiri stated.
Nigeria eagerly needs a selfless, de-tribalised, non-nepotic, non-religious fanatic, and not a greedy undertaker and looter as president, he pleaded.
According to Onitiri, our incoming leaders should address us in their manifestos and how they intend to salvage our country from imminent calamity. Above all, they must sign indemnity with the people of Nigeria to be loyal and to protect the lives and property of citizens within a year of ascension to power, failing which a referendum should be conducted to remove them from power.
Other suggestions by Onitiri include: signing a pact with Nigerians by the incoming president to discard within two years, what he alleged the “obnoxious 1999 constitution”, and inaugurate the 2014 constitutional review reports. Alternatively, he should take us back to the 1964 regional structure.
Onitiri called for restructuring of the country, in view of the “lopsidedness of the present warped constitution that could not guarantee justice, equity, and fairplay to the various tribes that make up Nigeria, causing the loud agitations and clamour for self-determination.
“We desperately need a proper, urgent RESTRUCTURING of the country where every member will have a sense of belonging to develop at their own pace.
“With the above conditions and others, our incoming president and governors must sign a pact with Nigerians. Its no longer business as usual where politicians feel politics is about self-enrichment and money-making venture.
“The year 2023 elections must be absolutely for service to the nation. We must get it right this time around, as we cannot afford to fail our heroes past and our children yet unborn. We have no country we can call our own.
“No more politics of stomach infrastructure. We urge all Nigerians to carefully select their leaders in 2023. No more money politics. Our mumu don do. O to o ge! We must eradicate poverty in our land”, Onitiri counselled.
He appealed to all Nigerians not to sell their votes for whatever reason. He also urged them to procure their PVCs to enable them participate in the incoming elections.
“You cannot afford to stay aloof in 2023; we are all stakeholders in the Nigerian project. This country, Nigeria belongs to us all”, he added.
I think this is idiocy taking too far! Does this Onitiri fellow know that there are criteria clearly spelt out in Nigeria’s Constitution and the Electoral Act for all Presidential, Gubernatorial, etc aspirants/candidates to meet? Where is he getting his illegally mundane criteria from?