A chieftain of People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Nnamdi Iheoma has called on Nigerians, irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliation to unite and build a better Nigeria.
He called on the electorate to refrain from selling their votes and vote only those with ideas and template for development of the country.
He made the call during an interactive session with media executives at a reception to commemorate Nigeria’s 64th Independence.
He said the recent court judgement granting autonomy to local government has provided an opportunity for Nigerians to take ownership of governance.
“For me, it is a time for every Nigerian, no matter where you come from, to begin to think about a better country for all of us.
“It is time for us to begin to think about what difference we can make, and how we can make that difference. The President has been very wonderful in his Independence Day message. By the time we look at it, we begin to draw the narrative of where he wants to live in Nigeria.
“I think it’s the best thing for us to join in that narrative of helping him to move Nigeria into a better society. Either by pointing out those areas that we think he can improve upon and holding to those things that we think he can hold on to. But it’s an opportunity for us to take a reflection of the dreams of our founding brothers”.
He described Nigerians selling votes to politicians as gullible citizens who mortgage their future for crumbs.
He added that the Nigerian politician has understood the gullibility of the electorates hence,stash his money waiting for the election day to buy his way into office.
He said while there is high level of poverty in the land,there was no justification for anybody to sell their votes to any politician.
He the Nigerian electorates were expecting politicians to remove them from chains but said “the man who puts you in chains cannot unchain you”.
“The electorate is still in chains, and he‘s dancing with his chains, and he’s celebrating the one that puts him in chains.
He explained further “Because the electorate is still thinking that the gift of 5,000, 15,000 , 20,000, which is a momentary relief of the pain that he’s going through, is enough to sell the fundamental right that he owns to decide his future by way of the power of his vote. So the electorate have not really come to a clear understanding of the power of his vote. And this is a game the politician understands 100%.
„The politician understands this gullibility of the electorate 100%, and the politicians uses it as a tool in the electoral process. No politician will do anything to the electorate until it is one year to election period. They‘ll start launching programs, empowerment, and they‘ll start launching fertilizers and bags of rice.
„So the gullibility of the electorate, I will say, is the fundamental that gives the politician the right, The politician keeps his money in his dollars and keeps it in his bag and locks it and waits for election day. On election day, he opens the vote and brings out $10,000, spreads it in Naira and begins to give you $10,000, $5,000. The electorate says, oh, let me collect it“.
He stressed that once a vote is sold, the politician has collected the electorates „right to life, right to clean water, and right to good environment.
„So until the electorate gets to that understanding that at election period, my right is stolen by my concept with over $2,000 there. So to answer your question, the electorate has not come to terms with the realities of what the politician does. And the politician has come to terms of how we can manage the electorate by their gullibility“.
