Former Action Alliance governorship candidate in Anambra State, Ben Etiaba, has warned Nigerians against the deleterious effects of vote-buying, saying it undermines collective efforts to recruit quality leadership for the country.
Accordingly, he has urged Nigerians to reject politicians who offer financial incentives during elections, stressing that the rampant practice of vote-buying in 2023 was instrumental to the not-so-generally acceptable exercise that the 2023 general election turned out to be.
Speaking at the 2024 Annual General Meeting and inauguration of new executives of the Zenith Environmental and Social Protection Network (ZESPRONET) in Enugu, Etiaba who is believed to be eyeing the 2025 Anambra governorship race, stressed the importance of electing leaders based on their dedication to quality representation rather than monetary inducements.
“We face a significant leadership crisis in Nigeria, but the problem with followership is even more severe. Politicians with ill-gotten wealth have dominated our political space because voters often prefer financial rewards over credible leadership,” Etiaba lamented, pointing out that the influence of religion and ethnicity in Nigerian politics has also become as pervasive.
Arguing that it would always serve the interest of the country better if political ideologies should take precedence over other primordial considerations, Etiaba noted that even though all the political parties in Nigeria are fundamentally similar, quality individual candidates should be the primary focus of politics if democracy were to deliver sustainable dividends to the people.
ZESPRONET’s International President, Eke Uguru, underscored the organization’s commitment to addressing poor governance and its resultant economic hardships with the announcement by its National President, George Ukaegbu, that ZESPRONET would focus on developing a business model to harness the economic potential of its members.
“We will prioritize creating a ZESPRONET business module that leverages our members’ economic potentials,” Uguru said.
He also reaffirmed the group’s commitment to combating global warming in the Southeast and enhancing the value of universities in the region and beyond.
The event concluded with the presentation of awards to the outgoing president of ZESPRONET, Boris Emeka, and his executives.
