Ezekwesili advocates competitive democracy as Nweke warns against vote selling 

Convener, FixPolitics, and Founder, School of Politics, Policy and Governance (SPPG), Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has said Nigeria and other African countries practice monopolistic instead of competitive democracy because people are not empowered with knowledge of politics.

She said monopolistic democracy is not about the number of political parties but the dominant political culture, which, in Nigeria, is one that persistently subordinates the good of everyone to the personal and individual interest of those who run politics.

“To keep a society resilient, there is need to manage the risky segment of the population and ensure their constant mobility away from the place of fragility, vulnerability and risk to a place of productivity,” Ezekwesili said.

She disclosed this at the activation event of the Office of the Citizen (OOTC), with the theme, ‘The Power of One People’, organised by FixPolitics in Lagos.

Also, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) gubernatorial candidate in Enugu State, Frank Nweke, said OOTC is focused on empowered and engaged electorate; a value based political class and a reformed constitutional, political and electoral environment.

He lauded efforts to achieve set goals through establishment of the SPPG to birth a new class of politicians and their contributions towards regulatory changes and laws to improve the nation.

He, however, charged them to first understanding their rights, so that they can fight from a position of knowledge. He said: “You must understand your responsibilities and that of the leaders whom you have chosen to administer our collective wealth, and hold them accountable. It is in our interest to set aside instant gratification from selling our votes and instead critically access candidates and vote only for those with a track record of competence, capacity and character.”