By Attah Ede
Former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Peter Obi, on Monday, identified financial inducement and public stealing as driving politics in Nigeria.
He called for immediate measure to tackle the menace, saying that Nigerians must come together and remove the financial inducement in politics in order to able to fix all the problems confronting the country.
The former Anambra State Governor stated this on Monday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen at the sideline of a two-day National Conference on Strengthening Democracy in Nigeria.
He noted that people steal resources and use it to win election, get political power, including immunity to prevent prosecution.
“So, we must stop encouraging financial inducement in politics because that is what is driving the stealing. Lots of people who steal public funds to sponsor elections are in power now and cannot be prosecuted just because immunity covers them”, Obi said.
On his alleged intention to form coalition against President Bola Tinubu and All Progressives Congress in 2027, Obi said he has no intention to do so.
He maintained that forming coalition should not be issue of great importance now, saying that politicians should however strive to eradicate the poverty, in the land, try fixing public schools, hospitals and security of lives and property.
“What is important is let’s discuss Nigeria. Whether we are going to do coalition… let’s talk about the future of the country, but often we abandon the country and what we need to do and talk about power grab.
“I’m not interested in any coalition for purpose of taking power. It is about discussing Nigeria. “How do we care about securing the Nigerians?
“How do we care about the common person in Nigeria? “How do we care about our children being in school? That is the most important thing for now.”
“We should make efforts to stop financial inducement in politics.
“That’s what we need to remove, because what you’re doing is that you’re encouraging stealing of public money”, he added.
Delivering his lecture titled, “Strengthening Nigeria’s Democracy: Pathway To Good Governance And Political Integrity,” former Vice President of Ghana, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, said the culture of peacefully choosing leaders is being entrenched, but becoming weakened and endangered.
The former presidential candidate in the just concluded general elections in Ghana also lamented that the growing poverty in the West African sub-region and by extension, the continent as a threat to democracy.
He noted that the electorate are beginning to lose faith in representative government.
