Enough of substandard leadership

Our concern is predicated on the fact that the experience of our people in recent times was a situation of near dejectedness. This is because we have accepted and celebrated mediocrity in lieu of excellence in leadership hence, the inherent consequence. Rather than orderliness, compassion and concern for fellow citizens, Kogi Central became a community […]

Our concern is predicated on the fact that the experience of our people in recent times was a situation of near dejectedness. This is because we have accepted and celebrated mediocrity in lieu of excellence in leadership hence, the inherent consequence. Rather than orderliness, compassion and concern for fellow citizens, Kogi Central became a community where anything goes. At the moment, some of those among the array of aspirants to elective positions are an insult on our collective sensibilities. This is alarming and it must stop!
All political parties at all levels of their primaries/process of nomination should elect qualified, credible activists of proven record of impeccable service to humanity. The era of fielding people of doubtful integrity or unqualified school drop/fail-outs for such positions has deprived us of our rightful position in the scheme of things at state and federal levels as well as the abysmal performance at the local government area councils. This position has become necessary to stem the era of meaningless representation and mediocrity in politics.
Carefully assessed, the PDP obviously commands the largest following in our land and by implication, its candidates for election could be presumed as prospective representatives of our people. In this regard, we like to observe that the new guidelines released by the PDP, which is the party that host most of our political leaders, tend to confer dominance or much advantage to certain persons of the political class. In specific terms, the guidelines for the conduct of primaries released by the PDP, in our assessment, gives undue advantage to some incumbent political office holders over their opponents who are non-political office holders who may be aspiring for same elective positions. This does not provide for a level playing ground for all. In addition, such advantage could embolden them to impose their cronies and never-do-wells. This does not presuppose our being oblivious of the reform introduced recently by the party which reduced drastically the number of appointed cronies that could be delegated as automatic delegates for primaries. Be that as it may, we are of the opinion that they need reminisce on the issue of the senatorial election of 1983 – the case of Senator Pius Lasisi of defunct GNPP versus NPN specifically – in the Second Republic. This should also suffice as a reference to spur our well meaning leaders towards the provision of alternative platform to field credible and competent individuals where incompetent, unqualified or persons of doubtful integrity are fielded as candidates by politicians.
The PDP, as well as other active political parties in the Kogi Central, should not insult our sensibilities by making the process of empowering people business as usual. There need be a radical departure from the tradition of empowering people of questionable integrity to represent us. We must, this time, elect people who would defend not debase the cause of humanity; people who are articulate, courageous and experienced enough to embolden them stand shoulder to shoulder with their contemporaries across the nation, and beyond, in the defence of issues of interest not only to us as a people, but humanity in general; people who possess the qualifications that could project the good image of our forebears… 
Credible and duly resolved arrangements on political representations geared towards societal integration must be respected. In this regard, the various arrangements i.e. the periodic swing on tenure of the Senatorial seat between the old Okehi and Okene, and the same arrangement between Adavi and Okehi Local Government Areas on the Adavi/Okehi Federal Constituency should be upheld. It is also expedient to state that we shall not waver in our quest for fairness and equity on the issue of ratio 2:1 terms in respect of the swing of representation for Okene/Ogori-Magongo Federal Constituency between the two Local Government Areas respectively. At the moment, justice demands that all reasons and permutations be deployed to consider the Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area for the slot in the current dispensation.
On the State House of Assembly,  political and opinion leaders of these local government areas, Adavi, Ajaokuta and Okehi, not opportune to have had meaningful representations should encourage, nominate and empower vibrant, articulate and experienced people, youths in particular, of high sense of responsibility to represent them in the Kogi State House of Assembly. The implication of having to elect, or empower, people of questionable character at that arm of government is suicidal indeed.
By and large, by the special grace of God Almighty, should any party elect to foist on us a never-do-well or ‘sub-standard’ product at this critical moment of our chequered history, we shall explore all constitutionally acceptable avenues towards resistance and change. Enough is enough of meaningless political representation!
Ogirima and Ogu are President and Secretary, Ebira Youth Congress (EYC)