Dr Nwachukwu Anakwenze, a former Peoples Democratic Party presidential aspirant for the concluded 2023 election, has decried the ethno-religious divisions among Nigerians under the All Progressives Congress-controlled government in the country.
The southeast party stalwart frowned at the outcome of the just-concluded february 25, 2023 presidential election held in the country by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), accusing the nation’s electoral body of collusion with powers that be to subvert votes of the Nigerian electorates.
The INEC had announced the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, as the president-elect of Nigeria after polling 8,794,726 votes to win the Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Atiku Abubakar; the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi; and the New Nigeria Peoples Party candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Speaking to journalists on Thursday, against the outcome of the recently-held presidential election in the country, Anakwenze posited that Nigeria yearned for true democracy beginning with freedom for people of the country as a whole.
He insisted that the citizens of the country longed for a Nigeria where leadership is based on merit; hard work, fairness and accountability measure the national character.
Anakwenze partly said: “We envision a united Nigeria in a true sense of the word “United”, where every Nigerian feels a sense of belonging and not marginalized. Where the governed have trust in the governance and the governed truly believe that they can vote, and be voted in to serve understand the true meaning of public trust.”
Asked also to speak on the rationale behind his entry into Nigeria 2023 presidential race and subsequent loss at the concducted presidential primaries by the leadership of the PDP, Anakwenze pointed out his agenda was towards ending the barriers impeding the efforts of Nigeria to attain economic and infrastructural greatness if he was supported to emerge as president of the country in the recently-concluded national election held in all states of the federation.
He also disclosed he planned to eliminate corruption, provides effective security architecture towards tackling acts of criminalities ravaging most parts of the country.
According to the party chieftain, “My agenda is to work aggressively towards creating a Nigeria that would enjoy 24/7 electric and renewable energy.
“The citizens hope for a President that will create jobs where there is no job, and utilize all the God given endowment for the good of Nigerians and Africans. So, i planned to work with industries to create internships that will help our young graduate currently roaming the street unemployed. We have to do something about our current unemployment rate of 35 percent.
“Nigerians hoped to get a President that will implement restructuring, so, I envisioned to pursue, restructuring, regionalization and devolution of powers expressed in a new Nigerian constitution.”
While giving insights on his agendas for the nation’s economic growth and development, Chief Anakwenze, who doubled as Onowu of Abagana Royal Council in Anambra state, berated officials of Independent National Electoral Commission for allegedly colluding with major dormant political parties to alter and mutilate the election results in favour of their anointed candidates, and as well as, deliberate harassment of electoral officers and INEC adhoc staff deployed at various polling booths during the conducted 2023 presidential poll in Nigeria.
He further insisted that nothing good would come out under the newly inaugurated government of the ruling All Progressives Congress under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, adding that APC had caused huge destruction to the nation’s economy and failed to raise the bar in building of critical infrastructure to enhance development of the country.