A chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Showunmi, has advised Nigerians against money politics for the country to move forward and fulfil its potential as one of the most endowed nations on earth.
Shwowunmi, who is the National Coordinator of the National Opposition Movement Coalition (NOMC), codenamed “The Alternative,” gave advice in a town hall meeting on Thursday in Kano.
The former PDP governorship aspirant in Ogun said bad governance persists in the country because politicians have bought over democracy with their ill-gotten money and have planned to sustain the trend.
He urged electorates to shun moneybags who deceive them with food condiments just to earn their votes.
“Today’s politicians want to use their money to steal democracy from us to keep us poor.
“To avoid this in the next election, we are warning you ahead of time against their antics by using the platform “The Alternative.
“Don’t shortchange yourself by selling your vote. Stop trading your destiny for a plate of corn maze, Indomie, salt, etc. They are using their money to take democracy away from you. So we are here to prevent that.
“The second reason for creating the alternative is to also prevent politicians from turning Nigeria into a one-party state.
“The town hall is to educate the masses to make a wise choice during the next elections,” he said.
Showunmi said that to save the country from more decay, the alternative was created as a platform for the common man as a tool to leverage to participate in the democratic process.
“The people will dialogue and come up with a consensus candidate; we will then take the candidate and present it to a political party as the people’s choice.
“The people must choose wisely, and this must be ensured as the conversation continues. We must bridge the gap between the government and the governed.
“Citizens must not hate themselves and continue to feel underserved. We must do all we can to ensure that a quality candidate emerges in 2027 from among the people,” he said.
A former governorship aspirant in Kano State, Mr Jafaar Bello, said in his remarks that leadership was not about religion, tribe, and ethnicity.
Bello stressed that Nigerians must start moving away from sentiment and elect leaders that have the interest of the people at heart.
“We have been deceived many times based on religion, but this shallow thinking must stop. People can hardly feed and pay bills. This is not the type of country our forefathers fought for,” he said.
The National Coordinator of Atiku Abubakar’s Forum, Saidu Bello, said that it was time to have a new political direction.
The coordinator advised youths to begin to study the history of the country to make informed decisions in electing future leaders.
Mrs Tariere Fiebai, a member of the alternative, prayed for a better Nigeria for the future generation to inherit.