Okwe Obi, Abuja
Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege and the spokesman for the apex-Yoruba cultural group, Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin, at the weekend, disagreed cause of bad leadership in the country.
While Omo-Agege heaped the blame on political followers who allow themselves to be financially induced and become thugs, Odumakin fingered political office holders who trump up bad policies, hoodwink the masses, leave them desolate and pauparised.
Speaking at the 10th annual lecture organised by the “Change We Need Nigeria” in Abuja, Omo-Agege maintained that no bad leader could rig elections without using the followers nor remain in office without the backing of his subjects and advised Nigerians to thoroughly scrutinise people before electing them into political offices.
“When people vote, they express the type of government they want and they deserve. When we vote aright, according to our conscience, good leaders naturally emerge. On the contrary, when they accept inducements, offer themselves as thugs to snatch ballot papers and create terror during elections, bad leaders become the trophy.
“No bad leader can rig elections without using the followers. No bad leader can remain in office unless he gets the followers’ permission, sometimes tacitly by way of political apathy; sometimes overtly by way of re-election. Even when the leader goads the led, it takes political apathy and tepidity on the part of the followership for evil to prevail.”
He was represented by his Chief of Staff, Otive Igbuzor.
But Afenifere spokesperson argued that followers retreat to their cocoon and not pay attention when they see leaders misbehaving, adding that followers would naturally abide by the rules when they see leaders doing same.
“The fact that followership is not a problem in Nigeria is very clear and can be seen in 1984 when General Buhari came as head of state and introduced a war against indiscipline, Nigerians fell in line.