Nigerian politicians are political autocrats – Jega

From Ado Abubakar Musa, Jos

As political activities for the 2015 general elections draws closer, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, has reiterated that politicians in Nigeria are politically autocrats who want to remain in power forever, saying “this is a serious problem”.

Jega who was interviewed in America yesterday on the Hausa Service of Voice of America, which was monitored in Jos, on the comparison between Nigerian politics and that of its American counterparts, said politicians in Nigeria are always keen to cling on to power and do not want to leave office.

Also problematic to Nigerian politics, Jega noted is the kind of politics played in the country, which he said has clear resemblance with business venture where people invest and expect profit, explaining that it was why they (politicians) prefer to buy votes during an election than to intelligently lobby for the support of electorates.

Jega who recently visited America to observe the conduct of the just concluded American National Assembly mid term election, said that politicians in America only demanded public support politically through lobbying without giving largesse to influence voters’ intention, adding that the reverse was always the case in Nigeria.

He emphasised that, “rules and regulations are not usually followed in Nigeria. Both politicians and electorates are not law abiding and the politics of the country would never move forward unless they become law abiding and discard all the unwanted characters”.