The need for Nigerians to elect people of honor, integrity into political positions OPINION

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The need for Nigerians to elect people of honor, integrity into political positions

By AdvocateNews on 26/10/2021

By Oliver Okpala

A very worrisome trend in our nation's political climate now is the practice of indiscriminate defection by our politicians from one political party to the other.

One troubling dimension to this negative trend is that the political parties keep accepting the defectors without recourse to the ideals of party ideology and sense of decorum.

What is the guarantee that such politically inconsistent individuals would remain in their new found parties?

What is the guarantee that such defectors are not coming in as spies who would later inflict heavy political pains on the party ?

Experience has shown that many of these serial defectors have no solid political base and no electoral values. Many of them have not even been able and cannot win elections in their wards, big to talk of their local councils.

But unfortunately they are not only accepted in the new party, they are given high profile receptions which even makes those who have shown commitment to such parties through thick and thin to become envious and feel unappreciated.

In most cases these set of political charlatans only strive for political appointments and filthy lucre. Does this make them politically relevant and worthy of such high profile receptions?

Besides , the indiscriminate defections of lawmakers especially in the Senate and the house of representatives is one that beats all sense of reasoning as the requirements for such movements are often jettisoned. Without any crisis in their parties as stipulated by the law, they defect and still retain their seats. This is political travesty!

Their acts are unconstitutional and a clear evidence that these are mercantile politicians. If their moves were altruistic, why dont they defect when there is nothing at stake? Many of them move when an election is approaching and use it as a strategy to be bought and for negotiations. This is unacceptable!

It is high time Nigerians placed premium on people who have integrity and on people who have honor in being elected into political offices.

It is very dangerous for people without values and a track record of honour to be celebrated.

A study of the political parties in the county shows that there majority of them are enmeshed in serous crisis. This is because those who hold away in these parties are often not men and women of honour and integrity , but people of low values and ephemeral allure.

This is the bane of our political system which.must be addressed frontally of we are to make any meaningful progress.

We must celebrate people of character and substance, not charlatans and opportunists.

In most of the states, both in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the main position, the people's democratic party PDP its a tales of parallel congresses.

This is shameful and a major indictment of our political system.

So with this scenario traversing most states and across parties, how do we install sanity ?

It is sad that our political class are not interested in what they can do for their country but what they can get out of the country.

We must imbibe the culture that politics is about service to the people and not to amass meaningless wealth.

The reason for poolitical ofice must be to serve the people, to better the lot of the fetchers of water and hewers of wooed.

If our politicians are actually going there to serve, must people be killed?

If the aim is service to the people, will there be widespread thuggery and brigandage?

Lack of altruistic motives and a heart to acquire filthy lucre is in most cased their focus, and that is why things have fallen apart and the center can no longer hold.

We are already approaching the end of 2021 which is to usher in the 2022 rush political season. If we can't put our acts together now , it means our political system would face a grave danger and this ill wind must not be allowed to blossom. The time to act is no

BY CHIEF OLIVER OKPALA, a political Affars Analyst writes from Awka

Posted 26/10/2021 9:33:24 PM

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