By Emeagi Emeka Williams
In view of the worrisome socio political culture in Nigeria, ex President Goodluck Jonathan has called for caution and culture alteration.
Former president Jonathan spoke at a recent stakeholders forum, stressing that it will take mind renewal for the evil of electoral malpractice, which usually characterize our post election atmosphere to change or end.
Frank and factual Jonathan, during the emotional outburst that moved the audience to tears, proclaimed that no amount of technology deployed to elections in Nigeria will yield positive result without a conscious determination by the citizens and leaders to do the right thing.
He proceeded to cite Senegal as one African nation that recently held a credible, free and fair election.
“I was in Senegal during their recent election .
“It was interesting to see Senegalese conduct themselves in civil, patriotic and legitimate manners in that leadership change process.
“Senegalese were ready to do the right thing.
The police stayed at a distance to supervise the peaceful process”, he stated.
Ex President Goodluck Jonathan said it is sad that the reverse is the case in Nigeria where the people are unready to imbibe the decent political culture; emphasizing that ridiculously, the military is mobilised for elections in Nigeria.
According to him, the odd culture played out in his time when the card readers rejected him, his wife and mother despite their paramount positions.
His Excellency, Jonathan went ahead to say that his wife the First Lady, and him, had to manage that era to forestall widespread violence in the Niger Delta and other places.
Talking of the just concluded Edo election, he noted that the crises that followed as an aftermath signified a poor or mismanaged conduct.
The ex president however stated that anyone in Nigeria who commits or supports election malpractice and calls it politics is a criminal.
“You are a criminal when you do wrong things to influence election and call it politics”, Jonathan averred.
He warned that if nothing critical is done to alter this abysmal and deadly political culture, Nigeria may soon conflagrate, so much so that no one can help it.
