Human rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, has said that the 2023 presidential election will not be based on any incumbency
anointing.
She said the man who could wield the power, President Muhammadu Buhari, was not contesting.
Speaking on that chances of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate Peter Obi, and the New Nigerian Peoples Party’s candidate Rabiu Kwakwanso, she urged Obi to move on without the latter, saying the field was open to all.
She noted this in an interview with ‘Sunday Punch’:
“For me, I think there is no need for them to work together. If the chemistry is not there, forget about it. There is no need forcing it and I don’t think that is the only way Peter Obi can win the 2023 election. It’s just one of the ways. He should look for another way to keep going. At this moment, there is no need forcing that union; it’s over and done with. Let everybody move on and let the best person win. I feel it would have made it easier and more pragmatic (for them to work together) but it also shows that for some it’s not about the country but about self interest and nobody is talking about justice and equity. What is most important is who the Nigerian people want.
“There are so many things with this election; nobody can say this would be the winner. It depends on the people who are ready to put in the work and would get it at the end of the day. We have so many things working for us, like the new Electoral Act. Some of the shenanigans our politicians used to can’t happen anymore. There will be no power of incumbency because the president (Major General Muhammadu Buhari) is not contesting. So, the message to Nigerians is that they are the structure and enough of voting out of fear. By voting continuously for structure and incompetence, we have wasted our lives. It is time to stop wasting our lives and vote for people who are competent. And it’s not just about the presidency, it’s about who becomes the governor, senator and House of Representatives or state House of Assembly member. People should vote for candidates instead of parties.
