From Cyril Mbah, Abuja
The National Chairman of the Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Barrister Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has charged the electorate to be wise and intentional in their voting choices during the next general elections.
Turaki said the quality of candidates who emerge successful in elections will determine the calibre of leaders the country will have in the next democratic cycle.
He made the statement as part of his speech at the 2nd Bala Mohammed Colloquium held in Bauchi to mark the 68th birthday anniversary of Governor Bala Mohammed.
According to him, it is often said that a country has the leaders it deserves, because they do not become leaders except the people choose them or acquiesce to their emergence.
He noted that some citizens actively vote for bad leaders while others refuse to vote at all, thereby still allowing the emergence of bad leadership.
The PDP Chairman warned that voters must not vote in exchange for spaghetti, rice, money or any other inducements, but must vote according to the capacity of candidates to offer quality representation and contribute to national development.
He recalled that in the past the country had leaders, especially legislators who offered effective and responsible representation, which contrasts with the rubber stamp legislature that now exists, adding that a weak legislature is not good for the country as there will be no effective checks and balances.
Turaki commended the organisers of the colloquium for providing an opportunity for meeting of minds to x-ray the past and plan the future.
He also reiterated the need for youth participation in politics and governance, saying young people must be consciously engaged as integral parts of the process, and not just as decoration or statistic to look good.
The PDP Chairman questioned the cliché that youths are leaders of tomorrow, asking when that tomorrow will come.
He thanked Governor Bala Mohammed for making youth inclusion a priority of his administration, which he said is obvious in the choice of his preferred successor, stressing that owners of the future cannot be left out when planning the future.
