Stop ethnicising 2015 presidency, Anyaoku tells politicians by FRIDAY OLOKOR

Former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has warned
politicians and high profile citizens against sectionalising the 2015
presidency.
He said such agitation premised on ethnicity could portend grave
consequences for the country.
Anyaoku issued the warning on Fridayevening in Abuja while delivering
a lecture entitled, "Nigerian public service in the age of open
Government: Giving voice to the people," during the 2013 Public
Service Day.
The event was organised by the Officeof Head of Civil Service of the Federation.
He also appealed to politicians to desist from politicising the
security challenges.
He said, "The leaders of all our political parties and ethno-cultural
groups in the various parts of the country should, in the interest of
national security, rally round to support the Federal Government's
measures to deal with the atrocities being perpetrated by terrorist
groups.
"I am concerned about the worrisomestatements being made about the
2015 elections by a number of our high profile citizens. I call on our
politicians and opinion makers to stop and think of the implications
for the country's stability of the battle lines for the elections
being drawn onsectional and ethnic basis.
"We hear declarations from notable nationals that the Presidency in
2015 must come from a specific area of the country, and we also hear
at the sametime from notable nationals that a different area must have
its full two terms of eight years."
Anyaoku noted that competition among individual candidates for
political office should be driven by specific pledges of how to serve
the various concerns of the electorate, rather than sheer quest for
position and power.
"If we are to promote our national solidarity, and if we are to
succeed in entrenching our democracy, our politicians and leaders of
thought must move away from section-based to policy-based politics.
Campaigns and advocacy of support for candidates must be based on the
manifestos of political parties outlining policies and programmes for
addressing the various challenges facing the country and its
citizens," hesaid.
In his speech at the event, the Head ofCivil Service of the
Federation, Bukar Goni-Aji, called on Nigerians both at home and in
the Diaspora to assist in rejuvenating the civil service.