By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The lawmaker representing Iseyin/ Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency in Oyo State, Honourable Shina Peller has tasked Nigerian youth to stop prioritizing the presidential as the most important in the 2023 general elections.
Hon Peller who stated this during a political live programme tagged ‘PRIME TIME’ on Arise TV, declared that Presidential election should be regarded as the least important of all elections in the 2023 polls
According to the Accord Senatorial candidate for Oyo North Senatorial District, in the 2023 elections, ” it is disturbing that ninety eight days to the 2023 elections, many Nigerians are in search of a presidential candidate as a messiah instead of everyone working harmoniously towards achieving a functional system that works for all”.
” I believe that the presidential election is not the most important in Nigeria. What is most important now is to develop a system that works for everybody. A single man can not make up a system”, he said.
Hon Peller added, ” The president is just a component of the system and can’t singlehandedly address critical issues affecting us as a country.”
” The president is just one person out of the system, he can’t veto on critical issues affecting us as a country”.
He pointed out that who emerges the president shouldn’t be the first thing in the people’s minds while trying to build a desirable structure using bottom-to-top approach and identifying competent young candidates across different political parties.
The Accord Senatorial candidate emphasized that identifying competent young candidates across different political parties stands as the only way Nigerians can do things differently and achieve a desirable result.
On who could emerge the country’s president in 2023 general elections, Honourable Peller said ” it is too early for anyone to predict that confidently, but that by January 1, 2023, people would know whose chances are brightest.
Speaking on the numerical strength of Nigerian youths, Honourable Peller charged the youth to ride on it by drumming support for fellow young people vying for different elective positions from the State House of Assemblies to House of Representatives, Senate and gubernatorial.
The Accord Senatorial candidate said Nigerian students alone have what it takes to determine the country’s next leaders, saying, “let us take NANS – National Association of Nigerian Students – for example. The universities were shut down for almost one year, students have a population of about 40 million; every student has a parent, every student has a lecturer, every student has a relationship with the non-academic staff, every student has a relationship with the host community of the school. So, they have the capacity to reach out to people.”
Hon Peller then challenged Nigerian youths to come up with strategies that will enable the country usher in a pro-youth government in 2023, stressing that the strategies should include setting up criteria for Identifying credible candidates.
“As we all know there are more young people in the world today and this demography is important in developing ideas to catch up with the digital world. On this note, age becomes the most important criterion to create space for more young people in governance.
“For State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate and Gubernatorial candidates, the age limit should be 25 to 45, 30 to 50, 35 to 60 and 40 to 60 years respectively while we leave the presidential at 75 years at most as proposed by the WE2GEDA movement.”
