2023: Advocating clear prerequisites for emergence of next Nigeria’s president

Passion alone they say is never enough unless it is backed up with action. Some others say people are deserving of the government they get. Whether true or not, it begs the question, what kind of president do Nigerians deserve?

Inspired by a WhatsApp message which has been going around lately, one which also referenced the bravery of the young Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky – the 44-year-old who has chosen to martial their army and lead his people in opposition to the much more intimidating Russian military might. The highlight being that he is young and competent enough to do the job.

Bringing it down to the context of the current Nigerian situation, it didn’t take too long to inspire the hashtag #NotMyPresident on Nigeria Twitter. Although the hashtag had always been there, Nigerians trended it again on March 2, 2022. This was done in protest, in a strong bid to push the ideal image of a Presidential candidate they would prefer to win the next elections in 2023.

One Twitter user on the hashtag thread, Tife_Bunmi responded with the tweet “We say No to anyone over 65 years #NotmyPresident” Now this reinforces one of the key points indicated in the original WhatsApp broadcast message.

It only follows natural logic, when they say to know what you really want, you need to be clear about what you do not want. In line with the latter, the WhatsApp message had four major excerpts on what kind of President Nigeria do not need in 2023:

1. ” An Old President – Anyone above 65 is disqualified in my opinion “

2. ” A Medical Tourist – Anyone who’s repeatedly traveled abroad for their health should focus on their health”

3. “Anyone who feels owed – The presidency is not a compensation plan for anyone. Nigerians do not owe anyone the presidency”

4. “Anyone who cannot communicate – Whoever intends to run for the office must be ready to debate and have questions asked about their source of wealth amongst other issues.”

The list was by no means exhaustive as the writer called on Nigerians to add their own strong points, regarding who shouldn’t qualify to contest the next presidential elections.

Responding to the open call on the Twitter thread, some people chose to use the avenue to market their own potentially ideal candidates,  leveraging the visibility of the hashtag.

In the midst of the pseudo protest, they also trended the hashtag #TheWrongCandidate this week. Making a resounding call to action to the country’s political parties to ensure that they field the right candidates; sharing what will happen to the country when they only have unfit options as presidential candidates.

One of the messages equally doubled down on the essence of having a young, healthy, fit, and nimble president referencing the age of US President Joe Biden and the toll the job can take anyone, especially at that age – “even with the best of supporting structures and institutions” – something seriously lacking in Nigeria at the moment.

Emphasising the need to be fit and healthy, @MekaWrights opined that “Having a President who repeatedly travels abroad for medical reasons but in his country, the health sector is too bad and poor and won’t do anything to improve it instead is definitely #NotMyPresident.”

It didn’t take too long to get other African users to jump into the conversation and stand in solidarity with their Nigerian counterparts. @LisbonTahwineyi, a Zimbabwean Twitter user shared: “A medical tourist #NotMyPresident A looter #NotMyPresident, Above 65years #NotMyPresident Human rights violator #NotMyPresident Dictator #NotMyPresident. The presidency is not a retirement package,” reiterating the strong pointers Nigerians had been sharing.

Essentially, the core message and call to action in all of these as strongly inspired by the very punchy yet succinct WhatsApp broadcast message, is to advocate for very clear prerequisites in choosing the next President who will work for Nigeria and help her maximize what has been merely potential for far too long.

Ajabo, a social commentator, writes from Lagos.

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