‘2023: Nigeria’s next president must be a unifier’

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, civil society groups under the Coalition of Civil Society for Good Governance have said Nigeria needs a president with sufficient nationalistic credentials to successfully lead the country out of its present challenges. 

One of the group’s promoters, Abdulmajeed Dahiru, speaking during a roundtable on “Correcting Mistakes of Leadership Gap and Expectations of Next President”, organised by the NextPresident Project in Abuja, argued that the Presidency should be rotated between the North and South, especially at a time the country was going through existential challenges.  

In his view, the criteria for who should be Nigeria’s next president should be centered on who will unify the country and solve the problems plaguing the nation. 

He said: “As 2023 draws closer, we require a leader that is ready to rise above primordial sentiments of ethnicity and religion in his conduct, to be able to unite Nigerians towards reaching our promised goals. 

“Until Nigeria transforms from just a country of micro-ethic nationalities into a united nation, the country will not make progress. We must align ourselves with candidates that have displayed sufficient nationalistic credentials to move Nigeria forward,” he stated. 

Convener, NextPresident Project, Okpanachi Jacob, said the lapses in leadership in the country had resulted in lack of economic and political intelligence. 

“This has given birth to a lot of crises. Nigerians must ensure that the next leadership process is embedded with a lot of intellectual engagement.

“It is time we sheath our swords, cease our various songs of secessions and give life to a new creed of the political process that will give birth to hope in citizens, which shall give credence to our plural nature, as our diversity is enriched with productive strength,” he said.