Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila has advised Nigerian students to vote for a presidential candidate with proven track records in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
Gbajabiamila said this when the leaders of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja on Wednesday.
Speaking, Gbajabiamila said Nigerian students are integral to the development of the country, and to this end, their participation in the political affairs of the country must be canny.
He said, “It’s very important segment of Nigeria for national development. The role of youth in society cannot be overemphasised because you play a very critical role in what happens in this country now and in the future.
“It is important you understand that we recognise the importance of your place in national development.
“Well, for me, you (students) have a lot to do between now and election day. In the next three, four months, you have a lot to do.
“What I mean is that you have to now begin to look at things differently, be able to look at things the way they are done in other climes, where people will look at things when it comes to politics and elections.
“What do I mean by that? We have so many candidates, not three, not four. People talk about having three frontrunners, perhaps, but as far as I’m concerned, we have 18 candidates running for the President of this country and don’t think you should overlook any one of them. You should not.
“What I want you to do, as is done in advanced democracies, is to look objectively, and this is what is done in other countries, people run on their records.”
According to the speaker, students should look at current issues and use them to make a choice of who becomes the president.
He warned them against voting candidates who have no track records they are running on.
“So, those are the issues that I think you need to consider. If a candidate does not have a record to run on and is talking about something else, it means that he doesn’t have a record to run on.
“The good thing is that most of the candidates, at least the frontrunners, have records. I’m not pitching for anybody here but look at their records. If you feel he deserves to be the President of Nigeria, please, do not hesitate. Vote for that person based on his record.
“Two of them have been governors for eight years, that’s the only record they have. One has been the Vice-President for eight years. So there are records, vote for records. Every candidate must run on his record.
“And I believe the way you have been equipped mentally, I have interacted with so many of you, believe you’re savvy enough to be able to, in spite of all the noise and the smokescreen, zero in on the right person for Nigeria.
“Also pray, that’s very important. As you consider the candidates, also pray that God will guide you to make the right choice,” Gbajabiamila added.