IMMEDIATE past Presidential Adviser on Political Matters, Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife yesterday described the nomination of retired military generals as presidential candidates by political parties as "an unfortunate and undemocratic trend."

Ezeife. who was a presidential aspirant on the platform of the newly registered United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP), told The Guardian that all the presidential candidates, who have emerged so far were imposed on their parties through processes that were fraught with intrigues, manipulations and supremacy of "political oligarchies."

Generals Olusegun Obasanjo, Muhammadu Buhari, Ike Omar Sanda Nwachukwu, Odumegwu Ojukwu and Chief Jim Nwobodo emerged as candidates of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), National Democratic Party (NDP), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the UNPP respectively.

Ezeife, who was the governor of Anambra State during the aborted Third Republic, upbraided the political parties for, according to him, imposing retired military officers.

"If I had won my party's presidential platform, as a full-time civilian politician, I would have sent the soldier-candidates packing. I would have told Nigerians that the path to democratic stability is not the retired Army Generals. Soldiers in service or out of service are essentially undemocratic and regimental," Ezeife declared.

On why he did not go far in his party's just concluded national convention, he said powerful forces "effectively blocked" him from realising his ambition even though he is popular among Nigerians.

His words: "Nothing will stop my preaching for the enthronement of a God-centred leadership in Nigeria. I was effectively blocked even though my entry at the Eagle Square was greeted with tremendous excitement by our party members. If we are blocked once, we should not give up."

Ezeife, who urged Nigerians to resist the temptation of being bribed by political office seekers to win their votes, noted that a political system characterised by bribery and widespread corruption may mar the peaceful conduct of April 2003 polls.

Said he: "Electorally, Nigerians need to go back to grassroots democratic system because the current system we are operating is characterised by manipulations, intrigues over who becomes a candidates by party oligarchies, who are bent on imposing their whims and caprices."

Ezeife, who stated that many political office seekers are not in their current political parties for ideological reasons, canvassed the election of God-fearing statesmen.