The Leadership and Entrepreneurship Advocacy (LEAD) Network, an NGO, has called on electorates to brace-up to demand democratic accountability from elected political leaders.
The Executive Director of LEAD Network, Mr Chukwuma Okenwa, made the call while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu on Sunday.
Okenwa spoke on the sidelines of the National Democracy Day and why Nigerians had not benefited maximally from democracy over 21 years.
He noted that, “democracy is people-driven” and the people should as well derive maximal benefit from it and not the other way round, which is autocracy.
According to him, it is quite wrong and sad the lackadaisical attitude most Nigerians, I mean the electorate, show to political issues especially elections.
The executive director noted that, “it is high time electorate became active participants in the entire electoral process, which will help to check the excesses of the political class and hold them accountable’’.
According to him, electorate must wake up and start demanding accountability as well as result-oriented and people-oriented leadership across boards.
“Nigerians, I mean the electorate, must do proper background check on each aspirant or candidate before giving the person their vital vote. Since voting is per head.
“This will stop charlatans from seizing power any longer at any level of governance.
“The current sycophancy and praise-singing for politicians should stop.
“When a politician uses public fund to deliver projects for the people, it is his/her sole responsibility and right thing to do so as far as he/she is willingly representing the people.
“When an elected representative is not doing well according to term of his office and resources; our people should seize available avenues to register their displeasure and disappointment over his conduct.
“Such individual should not be given public accolades, praise-singing and if possible he or she should be openly shamed in public,’’ he said.
Okenwa said that the electorate should stop complaining but rather do the needful for their elected representatives to sit-up and deliver on democratic dividends. (NAN)
