Gloria Ikegbule
The Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos has said ignorance on the part of the electorate gives room for political exploitation.
Archbishop Emeritus of Catholic Archdiocese Lagos, His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okojie, said this at the 2019 public lecture on good governance with the theme “The power of the electorate in a democracy: Nigeria as a case study.”
Okogie lamented that politicians are satisfied with the political ignorance of the electorate and therefore urged Nigerians to practise genuine love to build Nigeria.
“Today, we need to be properly armed with political education and to know what we really want. Is it not queer to let those big politicians make a political comeback simply because they are from our tribe or religion?
“Must we die in political monotony and remain unseen in the global world? Can’t we try new alternatives?” he asked.
Okojie added that there was a need to reform Nigeria’s electoral law and constitution, which he further lamented have taken the power of the electorate away. He also tasked the electorate to have a radical change of mind as there is no love in the heart of Nigerians.
The keynote speaker, Professor Oyelowo Oyewo, a former Dean, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos, noted that when voters vote along ethnic and religious lines, they vote against the future.
PDP governorship candidate in Lagos Mr. Jimi Agbaje, encouraged voters to come out and vote, monitor their votes and ensure they all account. He gave the advice against the belief that there might be voters’ apathy during the election.