2023: Don’t Vote Leaders You Can’t Trust – Ezekwesili Group

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG) founded by former minister of education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, has urged Nigerians to elect only leaders they can trust with state resources.

The institution, which lamented the increasing leadership deficit in the country, said the 2023 poll is a critical time to rescue Nigeria from its current challenges.

Addressing journalists in Abuja yesterday at the launch of the alumni association of the school, the chief executive officer of SPPG, Alero Ayida-Otobo, said competence, character and capacity should be the defining qualities of leadership.

She said: “The most important thing right now is to use criteria based on three things. One is can the person solve the problems on ground? Are they knowledgeable? Can people trust him or her with money? Governance is about using state resources judiciously and then we should ask if the person has the track record to use resources judiciously and implement projects that will benefit the people.

“We must ask ourselves if we are interested in rescuing the nation from the current challenges. We must educate the man on the street who allows money politics to work on the need to change the narrative. Yes, money is needed to run elections in any part of the world, but that should be money to run the system not to bribe the people. If we are to change the way things are done then we need to pay the price.

“If we look at the current situation, something seems to be changing. People are being activated. Today, they can be Obi-dient or any other name. What that movement is saying is we have had enough.”