Use Politics to Transform Society-CLO

Nigerian politicians have been called upon to use the system as transformational ground to restore peace and foster unity among the ethnic groups or be ready for the unpleasant result that will follow, should they fail to do so.

Chairman, Abia State Chapter of the Civil Liberties Organization (CLO), Dr Charles Chinekezi, who made call, said that the country cannot run away from using dialogue to achieve peace. 

Chinekezi, said in an interview in Aba, that Nigerians were getting impatient with a system that subjugated them and had brought them to endless suffering, stressing that politicians must act now to restore peace.

“Nigerian politicians are not committed to peace and the wellbeing of the citizens and that is the reason we have a country that is rich in mineral and human resources but is mired in poverty with much rage.

“If their purpose in government had been to improve the lives of the people of Nigeria they would not be amassing wealth at the expense of the people. But now, things are changing and anger is rising in the land.

“We have been calling for a national dialogue, but the politicians don’t want it, but someday they will hear what they have never wanted to.

“My prayer is that our politicians will wake up now and give room for the reformation of this country’s political system to ensure free and fair elections before it becomes late for all of us”, he said.

The CLO boss, said the country needed a constitution that discourages freestyle politics that gives its operators the opportunity to behave the way they liked.”

Chinekezi, said there should be consequences for politicians who want to defect to other parties, to deter them from continued corruption of the political system.  He suggested for a law ordering a political office holder desiring to defect, to leave the office for another member of the party which elected him rather than leaving with the post acquired from such a party.

He further advocated the tightening of the electoral system to encourage people to participate more in voting and that their votes are allowed to count. Chinekezi said political system operators must yield to giving account of their stewardship to the people, if the country was to be saved from outrageous corruption now fueling anarchy and hatred in the land.