By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The Founder and the National Leader of Youth Association, Anambra South Senatorial District,
Barrister Peter Ekwueme, has urged the youths of Anambra State to shun all forms of electoral violence and malpractices before during and after the September 28th Local Government Election in Anambra State.
Ekwueme who stated this at his country home, while interacting with the youths of Oko Community, in Orumba North L.G.A said advised them stay away from all manner of electoral malpractices that would make the wrong people emerged as winners of the poll across the Wards and Local Government Areas.
According to the youth leader, ‘Quality and accountable representation have eluded the good people of Ndi Anambra for a long time now, especially at the grassroots.
‘Thankfully, the Supreme Court has done the needful by restoring the power of the people to elect their Local Government Chairmen and Councilors and we are hopeful that the inherent benefits of good governance will traverse across all levels in our dear state.
‘However, it is very important that we get it right this first time or we may end up without the benefits and this is why I am convinced that everyone has a role to play in the upcoming Local Government elections, the electorates and the aspirants alike.
‘Good governance and its benefits can not come via a flawed process of election. Flawed electoral process is mainly what produces individuals that simply lack the capacity to hold themselves accountable to the electorates. And without accountability, there’s no representation, only self aggrandizement.
‘Ndi Anambra, especially the youths, must choose. We must choose to either shun all the money politicking and election violence and manipulations and focus on electing responsible, accountable, credible, transparent leaders into the political offices, or allow ourselves to be used by people who will hand us N5,000 in exchange for our enormous power to demand accountability.
‘History has shown that money induced election is nothing but a sociopolitical fraud and that we must reject in the forthcoming elections.
‘The young people are getting more informed and more aware of their capabilities and I encourage them to take a courageous stand in the forth coming elections by standing for what is right, and to sacrifice the very little they may be offered as it never helped. O ga adili anyi mma,’ he concluded.
The legal practitioner equally said he was also hopeful that the upcoming election would be hitch free and would produce good results that would in turn give governance and the grassroots level a big lift.