*Condemns lack of internal democracy, honest leadership in political parties
A foremost member of the Obidient Movement and chieftain of the Labour Party, Barr. Kenneth Okonkwo, Friday took a swipe at the unbridled greed of some Nigerian politicians, noting that their excessive corruption is responsible for the economic quagmire facing Nigeria.
He argued that it is impossible to produce a good leadership from corrupt political system, noting that political parties must conduct free, fair, credible and transparent party primaries for the nation to produce credible candidates who can reform the rot in the polity.
Okonkwo, while appearing as a guest on Channels Television political programme, “Inside Sources”, warned of dire consequences should Nigeria’s political leaders continue in the same trajectory of corruption.
“All these inordinate acquisition of money which is what we see today, is at the root cause of all these problems.
“How can people acquire stupendous wealth from public till and you feel the country could grow?”
Providing panacea to grow the economy, Okonkwo stated that government must proactively support Nigerian companies, noting that foreign companies try hard everyday to suppress local business concerns, “but government, through diplomacy, must ensure that Nigerian companies compete favourably on the international sphere”.
He lamented over what he termed as “elit capture of the state, also known as structural criminality” describing it as the greatest bane of our society that “must be completely done away with”, adding that “there should be irreducible minimum performance by political leaders for Nigeria to move forward”.
According to him, “from what transpired in the last 2023 general election, I advise the government and our political class to avoid continuing in the failures being witnessed in the polity.
“I tell you, it will be wrong to continue in the same trajectory. They can’t continue with what is going on now and not face dare consequences in the near future”.
He warned that politicians should avoid deluding themselves that the electorate are ignorant or helpless, emphasising that “should they continue on this path of perfidious flawed primaries, they should expect Nigerians to embark on self help and do what they ought to do”.
He responded to questions on the decisions of courts on petitions arising from the last general elections, where he noted that much of the judgements failed to give expression to the letters of the constitution and the Electoral Act.
He also lamented that decisions on some cases were sacrificed on the alter of technicality, stressing that such will further destroy the political process.
The pioneer Nollywood actor further advised members of the National Assembly to amend the Constitution and the Electoral Act, in the light of current ugly experiences to avoid plunging Nigeria’s democracy into anarchy in subsequent elections.
Barr. Okonkwo also condemned the decision of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in “compartmentalising people according to classes, for the purposes of electricity billing”, pointing out that “it is discriminatory, unconstitutional and illegal”.
According to him, “there are poor people who live in the boys quarters of rich men and you punish them, discriminate against them, for daring to live within the enclave of wealthy people?”
He also blamed former Vice-President Atiku Abubaker and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for not keeping to the party’s constitution which is helping at keeping the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the corridors of power up till now.
