The 2019 Presidential elections

The 2019 Presidential election is right around the corner. Political gladiators have started making tactical moves and different political support groups have already started campaigning for candidates even though the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has not given the go ahead to political parties or groups to start campaigning for the 2019 elections. Individually we can support or promote any politician whenever and wherever, we have that right constitutionally. section 39 of our constitution gives us the right to express ourselves, the right to hold opinions and the right to receive and impart ideas and information without interference. I will continue to exercise my constitutional right, every Nigerian should as well. We should never vote for individuals based on the political party they belong to. Majority of the political parties in Nigeria are undemocratic. Our two major political parties, The All Progressive Congress (APC) and The People's Democratic Party (PDP) have shown and continue to show that they are undemocratic. The Executive Arm or the National Working Committee (NWC) of our political parties violate their party constitution and by-laws most of the time. This is the major reason most politicians jump from one party to another, over and over again.

It's crazy to me when I hear politicians like Governor Nasir El-Rufai who is a political defector himself calling our Former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar a serial defector because he exercised his political right and dumped the All Progressive Congress (APC). I have also heard more than a few others call our Former Vice President a political prostitute.

Governor El-Rufai says he is a loyal disciple of our President, His. Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari and he calls himself a Buharist all the time. Governor El-Rufai seems to have forgotten that President Buhari contested for the Presidency four times through three different political platforms, All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Progressive Congress (APC), so is President Buhari also a serial defector or a political prostitute?

Is it a crime to switch political parties over and over again? Is it a crime for an individual to run for the Presidency over and over again? Is it a crime to be ambitious? President Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and any other Nigerian defecting from one party to another or contesting over and over again for the Presidency is politics. Any Nigerian is free to switch political parties as many times as he/she likes, politics is all about interest.Political parties in Nigeria are just platforms politicians use to compete for elective positions. I don't take any political party in Nigeria seriously. I could care less what political party individuals competing for elective offices belong to, I am only interested in what the individual competing for elective office is bringing to the table.

Our State Houses of Assembly really need to vote on the constitutional amendments that passed in the National Assembly, what’s taking so long? We need independent candidates, I was hoping independent candidacy will become law before the end of the year.Every Nigerian should have an open mind, observe, listen effectively, think critically and perform extensive and detailed research on everyone that is going to be contesting for the Presidency. We should never vote for individuals based on ethnicity, religion or the political party they belong to. Our Presidential candidates have to be prepared, they have to give us a detailed and realistic plan that will put Nigeria on the path to her zenith, Nigeria can not remain this way, we have to get it right in 2019. Written by Nosa Eweka.

Nosa Eweka is an Entrepreneur and a Member of the Benin Royal Family, he can be reached at nosaeweka@yahoo.com.