By Gabriel Ewepu

AHEAD of 2023 general elections, a Civil Society Organisation, CSO, We Are All One Foundation, WAAOF, Sunday, called for inclusion of independent candidacy in the ongoing constitution amendment process.

The President and Founder, WAAOF, Musa Abdullahi Garba Gokaru, made this position known while speaking with Vanguard on salient political issues currently affecting the country.

Gokaru, said Nigerians are fed up with the current political party process for Nigerians to aspire, contest and win elections, rather want that changed, hence independent candidacy remains the best alternative. 

He said: “I am in 100 per cent of independent candidacy. In fact, it is to be part of our Constitution. The political party system is so cumbersome and the process of emerging a flag-bearer is difficult because the whole process is monetized and the aspirant must have a god-father as they call influential members of these political parties.

“Independent candidacy is the only way to go to tackle must of our predicaments because such a person is from any part of the country irrespective of tribe, religion, region or any affiliation.

“So independent candidacy should be encouraged, in fact, it should be a cardinal issue that supposed to be in the Constitution as the National Assembly is in the process of amending the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We need this to happen for the good of our democracy and political life as a nation.

“It will make people to come out to vote freely for whom they want because Nigerians are tied of the present political party arrangement and the excesses they exhibit. We need technocrats, people who have Nigeria at heart and not politicians, people want to change but they cannot.

To ensure the issue of independent candidacy becomes a reality he disclosed that he will not relent to press on with it as he will mobilize other like-minded CSOs across the country to launch the campaign first at the popular Unity Fountain in Abuja.

“To press on with this campaign for independent candidacy, I will reach out to other Civil Society Organisations, and I am planning to hold a rally at the Unity Fountain that would bring them together on the way forward about Nigerian political system.

“This campaign will be launched in Abuja and then take it to the states, local government areas, wards and communities, which I will let them known that it is now time not to rely on politicians but on ourselves as Nigerians, basically on the youths and to make them understand that politics does not help us as a nation rather divides us more.

“As a Civil Society Organisation, we will go further to bring all stakeholders under one roof and make them understand it is time for us to stop hitting the wrong target.

“The real target is let us understand we need leaders including local government chairmen, counselors, governors and up to the presidency, and that we need Nigerians who can galvanize the system because we are tired of politicians but what we want are true Nigerians, citizens who will deliver on our expectations.

“The campaign is going to kick off very soon and will be on all media platforms and social media handles across the 36 states and 774 local government areas”, he stated