Anambra doctors to screen gov aspirants

The Nigerian Medical Association , Anambra State chapter , on Tuesday said it would participate actively in the process that would produce the next governor of the state on November 18 .
It said the time when the elite stood aloof and allowed the barely educated to foist leaders on the people of the state had passed .
The Chairman of the NMA in Anambra State, Dr. Jude-Kennedy Emejulu , stated this at a press conference at the association’ s secretariat in Awka .
For this reason, the group said it had set up a committee called ‘Governorship Public Square Interaction’ , headed by Dr. Jide Onyekwelu , to screen the governorship aspirants in the state.
Emejulu said the NMA was set to increase its socio - political relevance in the state and increase the visibility of the group in governance .
He said the NMA had , in the previous governorship elections , organised a political debate for aspirants but that this time it would go beyond debate .
He said , “The interaction we are putting together is expected to actualise attitudinal change among the leaders and the followers because the major problem of Nigeria in general, Anambra State inclusive , is the failure on the part of the leaders and the followers . ”
Speaking, Onyekwelu, who gave an overview of the political development in the state since its creation, said the state had had a chequered history.
He said , “Our elections were not won through the ballot but at the court of law . This has brought about voters ’ apathy and vote sale. The voters believe their votes do not count and they easily fall to the temptation of selling to politicians .
“The politician, when he ‘wins ’ , has the preoccupation of recouping his expenses first before considering the welfare of the people . Whether the people vote or not, the court uses one technicality or the other to declare a candidate the winner .”