MAJOR CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE VOTING IN A GENERAL ELECTION
CHARACTER
The first and foremost consideration before casting a vote is the candidate’s character. Some of the major elements of character of concern in public life are: integrity, honesty, virtue, fidelity, loyalty, justice and worth.
Integrity includes:
- uprightness of character,
- probity,
- soundness of thinking
- justice and
- an unimpaired state.
The first and foremost consideration before casting a vote is the candidate’s character. Some of the major elements of character of concern in public life are: integrity, honesty, virtue, fidelity, loyalty, justice and worth.
Integrity includes:
- uprightness of character,
- probity,
- soundness of thinking
- justice and
- an unimpaired state.
Honesty, among many other aspects, includes:
- trustworthiness,
- uprightness,
- freedom from fraud,
- fairness,
- equity,
- morality
- just conduct.
Character is extremely important in persons occupying public office for the following reasons:
- There will be more consistency in government policy. A man of good character cannot be compromised in his decision-making process.
- He is less likely to be impaired by errant behaviour. He can be relied upon for integrity in all his relationships, either inward or outward looking.
- Honesty and integrity mean that we will know where a man in office stands at all times, i.e. reliability. The people can rely upon the decisions made and the actions taken as straightforward and in their best interests.
- People of good character are less likely to yield to pressure from special interest groups and make decisions which will act to the detriment of the majority of our citizens.
- A character defect is all-pervasive in the sense that it impacts the personal life and political life as well; you cannot arbitrarily say that a man can be dishonest and immoral in his personal life and honest and moral in the exercise of his official duties as a government official. On the contrary, his character colours all aspects
of his thinking and of his life. We cannot permit persons with multiple standards to occupy offices of public trust. - We need people in public office who not only have the abilities and skills to perform the duties of that position but whom, we the public they serve, can depend upon to be of strong character.
Don’t be fooled by
outward appearance, wealth, tribe, religion,
popularity or the size of the candidate’s
pot-belly, backside, neck or chick.
NATIONALIST OR TRIBALIST?
Since independence, we have experimented with leaderships elected on the basis of tribe, religion, wealth, state, military support, etc. The leaders failed their tribes, religion, states, military colleagues and the Nigerian people in general. Nigeria has never tried to vote a Nigerian. A Nigerian is a candidate who is a nationalist to the core and wishes to go down into history as a man or woman who played part in the transformation of the country into a prosperous and fully democratic nation.
Before you cast your vote, research the candidate and vote on the basis of nationalism rather than tribe, religion, popularity, wealth or state. It will be too expensive for Nigeria to vote more of the same in 2011. The train of development, progress and prosperity is almost leaving Nigerian behind.
With global warming and its consequences on the horizon, dwindling natural resources, possibility of alternatives to crude oil emerging in the near future, current over-dependence on rent from crude oil, you cannot afford to experiment with unpatriotic, corrupt and incompetent tribesmen and members of your religion or state. Your future is your vote. Use it wisely.
LAW ABIDING STATUS
A candidate who has violated the laws of the land or earned criminal conviction will never respect or work in favour of enacting strong laws. That candidate has over 90% probability of getting involved in corrupt behaviours or shield corrupt associates and criminal minds. The menace of corruption in Nigeria is obvious in the slow movement of files in offices, police extortion tollgates and slow traffics on the highways, port congestion, queues at passport offices and gas stations, ghost workers syndrome, election irregularities, etc. The character of a candidate will colour every aspect of his/her thinking and actions.
At a time when the poverty level in Nigeria is 43% and climbing, fortified institutionalised corruption, skyrocketing interest and inflation rates, and woefully undermined legal system, Nigeria cannot afford a new wave of corrupt politicians.
Before voting a candidate, please research his/her law abiding credentials – criminal records and convictions.
RECORD OF PAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Study the background of great men and women who shaped or in the process of shaping history e.g. Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Barrack Obama, Arch Bishop Tutu, George Washington, etc. You will discover that they are ordinary people, determined to bring about change and progress to their immediate communities and the country at large and blessed with a trail of verifiable and authentic accomplishments and sacrifices. To arm a candidate, who lacks a verifiable record of past accomplishments and sacrifices in life with political power, is a license to corruption, injustice and national failure. A candidate who has never accomplished anything genuinely in life will have nothing to offer a nation but more of the same that made him/her. For example, a man who amassed wealth through deceit, corruption or crime may boast of accomplished life by showing off his ill-gotten assets. Access to a political office becomes an extension and license to legitimise and perpetuate a higher level of behaviours that paid him in the past. More time is spent legitimising or hiding ill-gotten wealth than to serve the people, the rule of law is sacrificed, lip service is paid to the fight against corruption, law enforcement is weakened, and the independence of the judicial system is undermined. Therefore, before voting, make it a point to investigate the record of past accomplishments of the candidate.