By Daniel Abia, Port Harcourt
The Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has attributed the persistent low voter turnout during elections in Nigeria to manipulation of the electoral process and other fraudulent practices by desperate politicians.
Speaking on Tuesday in Port Harcourt during the opening ceremony of the First International Conference on Advancing Politics and Governance for Sustainable Development, organized by the Centre for Politics, University of Port Harcourt, Otti expressed concern that electoral malpractice has eroded public trust, leading to widespread voter apathy.
Otti, who was represented by the former Senate Minority Chief Whip, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, lamented that despite huge sums of money spent on political mobilization, voter participation has continued to decline.
“You find out that there is a continued decline in voters’ turnout in successive elections despite the rising cost of political mobilization. People have become disenchanted, especially after the 2023 general elections,” he said.
The governor urged Nigerians, particularly intellectuals, policymakers, and community leaders, to take ownership of the political process and work towards genuine democratic reforms.
“Complaining from the sidelines will no longer be feasible. We must begin mobilizing the best of us to pursue the message of a new order and make a strong case for change within democratic bounds,” he stated.
Otti emphasized that the current levels of unemployment, poverty, and economic distress in Africa are unjustifiable, stressing that restoration is possible if citizens rediscover their collective power.
“Our case is not beyond redemption. Restoration will start when we come to a new awareness of our powers as intellectuals, opinion leaders, policymakers, and students,” he said.
He maintained that the continent must reject any political arrangement that ignores the urgency of reform, adding that true prosperity can only be achieved through participatory democracy and transparent governance.
“We may have lost so much to political indifference and poor governance, but what is left is insignificant compared to what the future holds. We must work with like minds to reclaim the political process for progress,” Otti declared.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Conference, Prince Tonye Princewill, noted that sustainable development cannot be achieved through economic growth alone.
“When politics is reduced to a competition for power rather than a platform for service, progress falters. But when governance is guided by vision, transparency, inclusion, and accountability, nations rise,” he said.
The conference, themed “Politics, Resource Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa,” attracted participants from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Canada, and Australia.
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