SAM AGOMUO, OWERRI
Former governor of Imo state, Achike Udenwa has attributed the inability of the country to conduct a credible and transparent election in the present democratic dispensation to compromising attitude of the electoral umpire and the security agencies
Udenwa said Nigeria is in a situation where rich politicians can buy the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, and the army to win elections.
The ex-governor who said this while featuring on a political podcast at the weekend, regretted that Nigerians no longer question the character, antecedents and backgrounds of politicians who come to them to seek their support.
He said, “Unfortunately, our society has grown to such a level where if you say vote for me, I am no longer asking what you can do? What are your antecedents? What type of character do you have? We don’t ask such questions again. And, of course, even if I don’t vote for you, you can buy your way through if you have the right amount of money,” Ul.
When asked if politicians could buy the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the police, the army, and the voters, he replied, “You can buy everybody.”
He noted that Nigerian politicians only concentrate on the ugly side of raising guns to.buy their ways in, rather than putting their manifestos on the table to win votes, adding elections in Nigeria are only about buying
The former governor warned that the current practice must be curbed for the correct leaders to emerge.
On the unresolved crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Udenwa, who is a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, blamed the crisis on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Despite acknowledging the PDP’s internal problems, the ex-governor maintained that external hands contributed to the party’s crisis.
“There are external hands trying to destroy the PDP through internal sources. We are still battling the problem, and I believe PDP will not be destroyed.”
Udenwa said the PDP is aware that the ruling party is involved in its lingering crisis; however, he refused to mention the names of people the APC uses to unsettle the opposition party.