As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 presidential election, a Nigerian attorney based in Sydney Australia and the principal consultant Anugoh Law Firm, High Chief Eddyson Anugoh (Ugwumba), has urged Nigerians to scrutinize candidates and their records rather than allowing campaign gifts, financial inducements, ethnic sentiments or political party affiliations to determine their votes. High Chief Anugoh made the call in a message titled \u201c2027: Let Our Votes Speak for Our Future,\u201d while having a chat with Umuaka Times correspondents in Australia.\u00a0 High Chief Anugoh urged voters, particularly those in Igbo communities, to consider the long-term consequences of their electoral decisions.<\/p>\n
The Amurie Omanze Imo State Nigeria born philanthropist and elder statesman argued that voters should not regard their ballots as commodities to be exchanged for temporary benefits such as cash, bags of rice, clothing or other campaign gifts. According to him, the four-year tenure of an elected government is long enough for the consequences of electoral choices to affect families, businesses, young people and communities.The soft-spoken High Chief said voters should ask critical questions about every candidate before making their choices, including what the candidate had previously accomplished, what they were promising, the credibility of such promises and their record of service and accountability. He also urged voters to examine the policies being proposed by candidates and seek evidence of their capacity and willingness to remain accountable after receiving the people’s mandate.<\/p>\n
The Australian-based Nigerian further maintained that party affiliation should not be the sole consideration in choosing political leaders. He said candidates should be scrutinized based on their character, competence, credibility, verifiable records and programs for addressing the country’s challenges. He also criticized what he described as the practice of accepting immediate financial inducements during election campaigns while ignoring the possible long-term consequences of political choices.<\/p>\n
As the discourse progressed, Anugoh said the money or gifts received by voters during campaigns could not compensate for the consequences of poor governance, including unemployment, insecurity, inadequate infrastructure, weak public services and economic hardship. On constituency and zonal development, High Chief Anugoh said elected representatives should be assessed by the tangible projects and services delivered to their constituents.<\/p>\n
He listed completed roads, functional schools, effective healthcare facilities, reliable water projects, skills and employment programs, and infrastructure capable of supporting commerce and community development among areas voters should examine. He also called for greater transparency in the management and utilization of public resources. According to him, politicians should not be allowed to appear before constituents only during election periods with gifts and financial inducements and automatically expect electoral support.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone who appears four years later with gifts and money should not automatically receive our mandate simply because of what they brought to the campaign ground,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The legal luminary stressed that his position was not a call for Nigerians to support a particular political party or candidate on ethnic grounds, rather, he advocated subjecting all candidates to the same standard of scrutiny irrespective of party, religion, region or ethnic identity. He urged voters to study candidates, examine their records, read their manifestos, listen to their programs and question their promises before voting. He further encouraged Nigerians to continue demanding accountability from elected officials after elections, saying democratic participation should not end on election day. Anugoh said the 2027 election should focus on the capacity and commitment of candidates to serve the public rather than simply on what they could offer voters during the campaign period. He concluded by calling for a shift from money-driven politics to issue-based politics, from emotional political loyalty to informed citizenship, and from periodic elections to continuous democratic accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vote is our mandate. Let us use it wisely,\u201d the high chief stated.<\/p>\n
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As Nigeria prepares for the 2027 presidential election, a Nigerian attorney based in Sydney Australia…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[1299,1300],"yoast_head":"\n