December 9, 2022/CSL Research
With the 2023 general elections a few weeks away, the three frontline political parties – the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Labour party (LP) have published their manifestoes detailing their plans the nation. The APC which has Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as their presidential candidate, released an 80-page manifesto titled “Renewed Hope: Action Plan for a Better Nigeria,” with national security, devolution of power, job creation and youth empowerment as top priorities. Making basic healthcare, education, and housing accessible and affordable for all was also highlighted in the policy document.
The APC promised to end petrol subsidy gulping trillions of naira annually and tackle the forex crisis hindering the economy. The party also promised to accelerate full implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act and implement additional favourable policies to attract investment in deep water assets within six months.
The party also promised to focus on the rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries to further increase Nigeria’s refining capacity. On security, it promised to establish a highly trained and disciplined anti-terrorist squad to tackle insecurity in the country while also repositioning the Police force to deliver on its primary duties of community policing and maintaining law and order.
For the PDP, the policy document was tagged, “My covenant with Nigerians’’. This policy document is predicated on five cardinal points which are: restoring Nigeria’s unity, social justice and co-operation among everybody in the country; establishing a strong and effective democratic government that will guarantee the safety and security of life and property; building a strong, resilient and prosperous economy that will create jobs and wealth and lift
the poor out of poverty; promoting a true federal system that will provide a strong federal government to guarantee national unity; and improving/strengthening the educational system to equip the recipients with the education and skills required to be competitive for the new global order driven by innovation, science and technology.
Lastly, the Labour Party unveiled a 62-page action plan titled “Our Pact with Nigerians: Creating a New Nigeria”. The manifesto highlighted security, production, institutional reforms, the industrial revolution, infrastructural development, human capital development, and robust foreign policy as key areas that a Peter Obi’s presidency will focus on. The party planned to spearhead the shift from consumption to production by running a productioncentred economy, driven by an agrarian revolution and export-oriented industrialization.
The party also promised to restructure the country through effective legal and institutional reforms to entrench the rule of law, aggressively fight corruption, reduce the cost of governance, and establish an honest and efficient civil service. The aspiring President highlighted that securing the nation and managing our diverse economy will be an important focus for his administration.
While we acknowledge the impressive ideas documented in these policy documents, we are also aware that the level of implementation of previous election manifestos over the years has been appalling. Notwithstanding, these policy documents give voters an opportunity to scrutinize the plans of the presidential candidates for the development of the nation so as to make informed decisions.
