…Nwodo: Our electoral system unattractive to honest Nigerians

Former National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said the country is not practising democracy.
l
This is as the former President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo stated that the nation’s electoral system has become corrupted and unattractive to honest and brilliant citizens.

The duo spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the public presentation of two books written by former Deputy Managing Director of New Telegraph Newspapers, Mr. Ike Abonyi.

One of the books, “Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist,” was a curated collection of Abonyi’s weekly political columns over more than a decade, originally published in New Telegraph Newspapers.

Secondus, who said Abonyi was the first appointment he made as PDP National Chairman, explained that he went to South Africa when he was PDP Deputy National Chairman and visited the headquarters of the African National Congress (ANC).

He described the ANC as “an institution unlike what we have in Nigeria, where one man can be in several political parties and at the same time behaving as if that is the norm.

“We don’t have democracy in Nigeria. What we have is a platform for winning elections.

“Our country is gradually moving in the direction of liquidation presided over by Tinubu. The mechanism for the free flow of information is lacking.

“Until we establish a proper democratic party where people can stay years in one party for more than 30 years, we are doomed.

He commended the author and said the two books are a testament to the experience he has gathered through his career as a journalist.

Nwodo, who was the keynote speaker, decried what he described as “the dictatorship of the political parties.

“Candidates are imposed on the people without transparent primaries. In some cases, no primary takes place at all.

“Governors have become appointing authorities for candidates for elective offices in their states. You cannot become a candidate without the governor’s approval.”

Nwodo, a former Minister of Information, said nominations for congresses are just a matter of formality.

According to him, where the governors are resisted in this form of nomination, “the richest candidate buys the position.”

According to him, the electoral commission, the security services and the courts are constantly manipulated by the rich politicians.

The former Ohaneze President General regretted that the standard of living of the average Nigerian in the last two years, “has dangerously plummeted,” noting that President Bola Tinubu meant well when he decided to remove the oil subsidy.

“The intention was to free resources in order to stimulate production and so grow wealth across the board.

“Unfortunately, the administrative organisation of the country and the recruitment process of political heads at the state and Local Governments did not help his vision.

“In many developed countries of the world, local governments are rich and carry on enormous responsibilities like education, water supply, agricultural investments, road development, security and industrial promotion,” he noted.

But in Nigeria, he stated, state governors chose local government Chairmen, while elections are a formality to window dress a carefully rehearsed arrangement.

“The process has continued with impunity. In fact, it has even extended to the Houses of Assembly.”

Nwodo said the failure of the subsidy injection into vital productive areas of the economy led to limited growth and an unprecedentedly high cost of living.

“Most low-wage earners can hardly afford a basic standard of living. School fees, transport costs, and house rents for homes have experienced, in some cases, a one hundred per cent increase, wiping away the relief expected from the percentage increase in salary emoluments,” he regretted.

Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, said people in government help to ruin political parties.

Obi said parties are now bigger than the government.

Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatudeen, described the books as a celebration of ideas, history and the indomitable spirit of the Nigerian state.

Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Senator Bala Mohammed, was represented by the Director General of the forum, Dr. Emmanuel Agbo.