ONITSHA – Former President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and current Chairman of Anambra Elders Council, Dr. Dozie Ikedife has advised all the political parties and their presidential candidates who are currently campaigning for votes to remain focus on their campaign strategies and desist from campaign of calumny, use of rough languages, unwarranted media attacks and death wish against opponents.
He said that if the presidential ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, his All Progressives Congress, APC counterpart, Gen Muhammadu Buhari would continue to generate unnecessary tension in Nigeria, the masses could be forced to focus on the candidates of other political parties in the presidential race such as Chekwas Okorie of the United Progressives Party, UPP and his National Conscience Party, NCP counterpart, among others.
Ikedife who spoke at his home town, Nnewi, Anambra State, yesterday, while reacting to verbal attacks by political parties against each other, said he had carefully listened to and analyzed commemts by some political actors and discovered that their comments against each other were characterized by rough languages, character assassination and all what not, instead of issues-based.
The elder statesman said he expected that politicians should concentrate on how to address the issue of corruption, tackle unemployment, insecurity and improve on the quality of life of an average Nigerian “instead of talking about so so and so has a certificate or does not have because we are not asking the contestants to come and do PhD programme but to come and see how to solve the nation’s problems.”
Ikedife noted that because the campaigns were not issues-based, it showed that Nigeria’s political maturity was still tender, adding that politicians should look at bigger issues order than individual opinions.
He however suggested that instead of allowing President Jonathan and Gen.Buhari candidacy to cause confusion, Nigerians could make do with options of other candidates from other political parties including Chief Okorie of the UPP.
“The two people, Buhari and Jonathan, are not the only Nigerians that can run this country. Even a journalist can run Nigeria.
Yes, you can run Nigeria. It is not a rocket science. It is just a question of having the mind-set, to even-handed in distribution of amenities and patronages. You don’t just give to yourself, your brothers and in-laws.
That is not what Nigerians want,” Dr Ikedife stated, even as he frowned at what he called commercialized endorsement of the contestants by some groups which he said would not translate to voting for the person so endorsed. I saw a deceit in such rampant endorsement of candidates by groups”

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