BY COMRADE NNAMDI IYIOKU.
The Anambra state just concluded governorship election in Anambra state Nigeria held on November 8, 2025, present a daunting task that requires a proactive and paradigm shift from what is currently obtainable in Nigeria democratic setting in order to make sure that we are going to get it right in 2027 general elections when it comes to leadership when compared to what is obtainable in other Africa countries such as Angola, Namibia, Rwanda and Egypt not to talk of the Western countries.
In the Anambra state governorship election about 2, 675,193 of the Anambra people registered voters registered for the election according to the record of the National Electoral Commission in Nigeria(INCE) but only few people turned up to vote in the election and the number of people who turned up to vote was only 583,649 out of the eligible votes who registered and accredited to vote in the just concluded governorship election in Anambra state but only 567,002 votes were casted at the end of the day of the election which represented 21% of the eligible registered voters who participated in the governorship election in Anambra state who decided the outcome of the governorship election in Anambra state living nearly 80% of the good people of Anambra state not getting involved in making the decision of who will govern the good people of Anambra state in the next four years.The beauty of democracy is that it offers people the opportunity to choose their own leaders but that’s not the case in Nigeria were most Nigerians are very passive in getting involved in the democratic process of electing their leaders a case of the just concluded governorship election in Anambra state.This maybe as a result of Nigerians not trusting the democratic process involved in electing their leaders going by what played out during the governorship election in Anambra state and other similar elections in the past we saw alot of irregularities such as vote buying and the absence of result sheets in various polling boots across Anambra state.
However, it is also important to mention here that when people failed to participate in the democratic process of electing their leaders they’re given the few individuals the right to make an uninformed decisions and other implications of his act is that the wrong people are elected into the leadership positions which will have a wide reaching implication that will be affecting everyone at the end of the day given room for poor leadership without any genuine intentions and sincerity of purpose and also accountability, transparency and probity in all their dealings with the people, leadership of sincerity of purpose structures that are achievable goals for the development and progress and sustainable development and this type of leaders can’t protect the lives and properties of the people.
Furthermore, regarding the issue of leadership that we currently have across the states and in Nigeria in general it’s not sustainable in the long term for the development and progress of the country because the current democratic process and the systemic incompetence in governance in leadership skills and the bad policies and poor institutions across the states and the country is responsible for not building a functional and sustainable democratic nation that will facilitate and foster better and cordial relationship among the people.
Finally, the truth is that leadership has eluded Nigeria and Africa in general. The so called leaders who are masquerading themselves as leaders without any meaningful achievement who does not deserve the office they occupied by merit and who does not believe in democratic principles and the rule of law in enhancing and deepening democracy in Anambra state in Nigeria in general as we all saw in the just concluded governorship election in Anambra state. I will like to use this medium to encourage Nigerians to get involved in the democratic process of electing our leaders so that they can elect the right men and women of integrity, character, competence, capacity, sagacity, ability, knowledge, expertise and vision into leadership positions that’s the only way we can change the current narratives and the crops of the current leaders across the states and in Nigeria in general were we have allowed the worst among us to lead the best among us which is absolutely shocking and shameful to say the least. A stitch in time saves nine.
