Democracy At 26: APC Chieftain Advocates Accountability From Elected Officials

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Hycienth Ngwu, has called on Nigerians to demand accountability from governors and council chairmen.

Ngwu, who is the former South-East publicity secretary of the APC, disclosed this to newsmen in Enugu yesterday while reacting to 26 years of uninterrupted democracy and how Nigerians had fared so far.

He stated that Nigerians should be bold and demand accountability from their state and local government leadership as there have been huge monthly federal allocations received under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

“To whom much is given, much is expected. Some of them leave their direct primary responsibilities and give priority to federal projects in their states and then ask for a refund later.

“Unfortunately, Nigerians are not asking their local and state governments relevant questions about their actions and inactions in the areas of governance, infrastructure and democratic dividends.

“Every government has a responsibility to its people. Today, when a feeder road in a village is unmotorable, the villagers will be asking the president to come and rebuild the feeder road,” he said.

On security, Ngwu said that Tinubu’s administration must be commended for tackling insecurity headlong, adding: “Security is for everyone and each Nigerian have a role to play in observing and reporting criminals, suspicious objects and developments.”

“When you see something, say something. The President through his policies and the empowerment of the security agencies, is living up to his responsibility.

“We need the locals, the vigilantes, the town union leaders, and civil societies to also live up to their responsibilities.

“We should see security as our responsibility. That is one of the strategies that will help curb or minimise insecurity in our localities,” he said.

On massive defection to the APC, Ngwu noted that mass defection and mass return to the APC epitomises homecoming for all progressive politicians and technocrats in the country.

According to him, historically, most Nigerian politicians are progressives by nature.

“In 1993, the (progressives) were all in the Social Democratic Party (SDP). However, in 1999, for various reasons, particularly due to a lack of purposeful leadership at the centre following the demise of Chief M.K.O. Abiola, the progressive politicians were not well-coordinated.

“So, they found themselves in different political parties, allowing the Republicans to win in the centre and dominate the field.

“In 2015, a strong platform – the APC – was established to house progressive politicians, and in 2023, one of the modern greatest progressive politicians, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, emerged as President under the platform, APC.

“So, all progressive politicians and technocrats are returning home. It is a homecoming for all progressive politicians. That is the magnetic force. There is no place like home,” he said.

The APC chieftain noted that the recent complaint by opposition parties that Nigeria is turning into a one-party state was misleading.

He said that there are about 18 registered political parties in Nigeria, adding that only two out of these political parties are losing massive membership to the APC.