A former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State and a Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Otunba Segun Showunmi, has advised Nigerians to stop voting into power politicians who deceive them with food condiments just to earn their votes.
Showunmi, who is also the National Coordinator of the National Opposition Movement Coalition (NOMC), codenamed “The Alternative”, 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.
“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 using the platform, The Alternative”, Showunmi said in Kano State on Thursday, during a Town Hall meeting domesticated in the northwestern region, to further educate the masses to make a wise choice during the next election.
Recall that on the 25th of November 2024, Showunmi, who is also a former spokesman for Atiku Abubakar, launched the National Opposition Movement Coalition in Abuja, aimed at reviving Nigeria’s democracy.
The movement has further been relunched in Jos, the North Central, Bauchi, Northwest, and Kano, Northwestern Region.
Speaking at the Town Hall, Showunmi said: “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. They are busy causing trouble in the major political parties so that we will not have the opportunity in the next election”, he said.
Showunmi said to save the country from more decay; the Alternative was created as a platform for the common man as a tool to leverage on and 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.
Earlier in his remark, a former governorship aspirant in Kano, Hon. Jafaar Sani Bello, said leadership is not about religion, tribe and ethnicity, adding 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.
Also speaking, the National Coordinator, Atiku Abubakar’s Forum, Saidu Bello, said it is time to have a political direction, advising youths to begin to study the history of the country to make informed decisions in electing future leaders.
In her closing remarks, however, Mrs Tariere Fiebai, a member of the Alternative, prayed for a better Nigeria for the future generation to inherit
