Why Crooked Politicians Win Elections In Nigeria.
Why crooked politicians win elections in Nigeria
Written by Christian Okeke, Abuja Thursday, 24 March 2011
The national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday stated that political apathy by the citizens was responsible for the emergence of crooked politicians as leaders across the country.
He observed that people did not get involved in the electoral process because their votes did not count adding that the administrations that emerged from this process did not deliver the dividends of democracy.
Jega who spoke at a one- day national workshop on voters and civic rights for persons living with disability organised by the Tender Dream Communications for INEC alleged that even with enthusiastic citizens’ participation in the political process, there is a tendency in most climes to exclude some marginalised groups among which are persons living with disabilities.
The INEC boss was represented by the director in charge of civil society and gender in the commission, Mrs. Margaret-Ejeh Ikwunja, at the workshop targeted at motivating the about 24 million disabled Nigerians to actively participate in the April polls.
Jega accused the crooked politicians of not only perverting the electoral process for selfish motives but refusing to address the failed expectations which made many citizens to withdraw in the first place.
The allegations by Jega came as persons with disabilities threatened in Abuja that they would be compelled to vote against members of the National Assembly as well as President Goodluck Jonathan if they failed to pass and sign into law the bill that sought to protect the rights of disabled persons across the country before next month’s general election.
The INEC boss noted that, “a major bane of the country’s political system hitherto has been the pervasive citizens’ apathy which was mainly a product of the serial failure of the system to meet citizens’ expectations from it”
Arguing that “the tendency has been a self-defeating vicious cycle of sort,” Jega maintained that the commission fully recognizes the vital importance of citizens’ involvement in the political process and stated that explains why it has always drawn the attention of Nigerians on the need to actively participate in the process if the collective aspirations for free, fair and credible elections next month is to be realized.
Written by Christian Okeke, Abuja Thursday, 24 March 2011
The national chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday stated that political apathy by the citizens was responsible for the emergence of crooked politicians as leaders across the country.
He observed that people did not get involved in the electoral process because their votes did not count adding that the administrations that emerged from this process did not deliver the dividends of democracy.
Jega who spoke at a one- day national workshop on voters and civic rights for persons living with disability organised by the Tender Dream Communications for INEC alleged that even with enthusiastic citizens’ participation in the political process, there is a tendency in most climes to exclude some marginalised groups among which are persons living with disabilities.
The INEC boss was represented by the director in charge of civil society and gender in the commission, Mrs. Margaret-Ejeh Ikwunja, at the workshop targeted at motivating the about 24 million disabled Nigerians to actively participate in the April polls.
Jega accused the crooked politicians of not only perverting the electoral process for selfish motives but refusing to address the failed expectations which made many citizens to withdraw in the first place.
The allegations by Jega came as persons with disabilities threatened in Abuja that they would be compelled to vote against members of the National Assembly as well as President Goodluck Jonathan if they failed to pass and sign into law the bill that sought to protect the rights of disabled persons across the country before next month’s general election.
The INEC boss noted that, “a major bane of the country’s political system hitherto has been the pervasive citizens’ apathy which was mainly a product of the serial failure of the system to meet citizens’ expectations from it”
Arguing that “the tendency has been a self-defeating vicious cycle of sort,” Jega maintained that the commission fully recognizes the vital importance of citizens’ involvement in the political process and stated that explains why it has always drawn the attention of Nigerians on the need to actively participate in the process if the collective aspirations for free, fair and credible elections next month is to be realized.
Labels: Abject Corruption, Banana Republic
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 8:08 AM
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