…We have wrong leadership role models, everything's collapsing -Okey Ikechukwu

Onochie Jon-Igwesi & Muna Chinedu, Enugu

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, a former president of the Nigerian Senate, Sen. Dr. Ken Nnamani, GCON, has reiterated that one of the gains of the 2022 Electoral Act is that unlike before, the courts are no longer empowered to declare people winners of contested election results.

He made this known while speaking on Saturday, November 12, at the 2022 Frontier Discourse Annual Public Lecture Series and Awards, a discourse organized by The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine, where he was the Chief Guest of Honor, and held at De Dome Event Center, Enugu.

Nnamani who was also a presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, APC, expressed hopes for a new and progressive Nigeria as the 2023 general elections approach, while admonishing the people to vote according to a candidate's records, not mere words and bloated claims. 

"The court will no longer declare the winner like it was done before. The court cannot declare you governor anymore. All the court can do is to send you, the candidate, back to the electorates", the APC Chieftain said.

Referencing the new electoral act, Nnamani made it clear that rigging election results would be almost impossible and that the people now have the ultimate power. He further counseled candidates that people were more likely to vote for individuals, not parties, advising them to focus on selling themselves to the electorates and let them decide. 

In the same vein, the Keynote Speaker at the Public Lecture, Prof. Okey Ikechukwu, mni, harped on the dangers of the existing wrong leadership role models responsible for the collapse suffered by Nigeria at the moment.

Delivering a lecture on the topic "The Purpose of Power: Ambition for Common Good and our Culture of Silence and Endurance", Ikechukwu stressed that the purpose of power must be for the common good of the people and that the knowledge, commitment and understanding of what it means to serve must be there. 

According to him, building a nation lies on the shoulders of the centres of power; the religious/spiritual leaders, traditional rulers, political leaders and the academia, who must work together to nurture a purpose-based common consciousness of its citizenry. He stated that the citizens were the most important part of a state. He showed the difference between national resources and natural resources.

"The national resources constitute human capital and the quality of the people in the country. The gap that exists in human capital development and investment is huge. 

"It is this lack of adequate investment in human capital that puts a stop to actual development in the country regardless of the fact that we build infrastructures in the education sector and others.

"Building primary school blocks are infrastructural development in education, but not the same as educational development", he said. 

On the youths, power and the culture of silence and endurance, Ikechukwu spoke about the lack of good role models for leadership and adequate knowledge, and how it affects the youths. For him, the Nigerian youths in the past, like Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa and others in their era had better choices, purpose and a knowledge base to inform their decisions than the youths after.

"The Centres of Power must work hard to educate the youths better if there's going to be a New Nigeria far from what we have now. The youths must not think that age alone affords them purity and morality, they have to earn it. 

"Part of the problem is the attempt to correct the wrongs without truly understanding the process. This rests on the need to understand the problem before designing the solution. The youths must get a proper political education and knowledge, not political information; pointing out the wrongs and venting anger is not enough'', he said.

Other highlights of the event were the gubernatorial candidates discussion where the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress, All Progressives Grand Alliance and the Peoples Democratic Party spoke on their plans for the people if elected as governor in 2023, and the presentation of awards to eminent Nigerians.

The programme had in attendance people from different strata of the society, including secondary school students, youths, civil society organisations, representatives of different professional bodies, etc.

Dignitaries in attendance were the former president of the Nigerian Senate, Sen. Dr. Ken Nnamani, the governorship candidates of APC, APGA and PDP, Chief Geoffery Uche Nnaji, Mr. Frank Nweke Jnr and Dr. Peter Mbah, represented by the Deputy Director General of his campaign organization, Hon. Okey Ogbodo.

Others were a former Deputy Governor of Enugu State, Ralph Nwoye; the Chairman, Enugu State Council of Traditional Rulers, His Royal Highness, Amb. L.O.C Agubuzu; Nigeria's former Minister of Power and Co-Chairman of the event, Prof. Bart Nnaji; Rt. Hon. USA Igwesi; Ikeazor Akaraiwe, SAN; the Methodist Archbishop of Enugu Diocese, the Most Revd. Barr. C.N Edeh.

Others were the Enugu State Commissioner for Rural Development and his Culture and Tourism counterpart, Dr. Kingsley Udeh and Hon. Ugonna Ibe; Rt. Hon. Paul Nnajiofor; the Transition Chairman of Orumba North local government in Anambra State, Sir. Ogochukwu Ekwueme; Igwe Cyprian Nevobasi; Igwe Charles Nwoye, Barr. Ugo Agballah, Dr. Ben Nwoye, among others.

According to the organizers of the event, the Frontier Discourse Annual Public Lecture Series and Awards would remain strong on its commitment to continue adding value to the society in the area of governance, especially as it relates to other human, social and economic developments.