Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has expressed concern over low voter’ turnout during elections, following a growing pattern of cheating and manipulation allegedly embedded in the system.

Oti lamented that there’s a continuous decline in voter apathy despite substantial funds spent on political mobilisation because people are disenchanted, especially after the 2023 elections.

“You find out that there is a continued decline in voters’ turnout on successive elections, despite the rising cost of political mobilisation,” he said.

The governor, therefore, called on African leaders to focus more on advancing politics and governance across the continent.

Otti made the call on Tuesday in Port Harcourt during the opening ceremony of the first international conference on ‘Advancing Politics and Governance for Sustainable Development’, which was organised by the Centre for Politics of the University of Port Harcourt.

The conference, with the theme: ‘Politics, Resource Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa’ is being attended by participants from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United States, Canada and Australia.

Speaking at the conference, Otti, who was represented by former Senate Minority Chief Whip Senator Darlington Nwokocha, said that development, in simple terms, is the fair distribution of resources among the people.

“Politics is about people and where human withdraws psychologically from the field for reasons of disappointment and disillusion, what follows will mostly be in line with rein-seeking and system theft.

On his part, Prince Tonye Princewill, the Chairman of the conference, stated that it is becoming increasingly clear that sustainable development cannot be achieved solely through economic growth.

Princewill said: “When politics is reduced a competition for power, rather than the platform for service, progress falters. When governance becomes transactional rather than transformational, development becomes a mirage.

“When politics, however, is guided by vision and verifiable impacts and when governance is rooted in transparency, inclusion and accountability, nations rise.”

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Director of the Centre for Politics, University of Port Harcourt, Professor Fidelis Allen, said how Africa manages its economic resources will determine the condition of the continent in the future.