By Ikenna Osuoha
Abuja – The Chairman, Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC), Mr Nwoha Amaechi, on Thursday said Nigeria’s democratic process was still at the “teething’’ stage.
Amaechi stated this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja while appraising the nation’s democratisation as the World marks International Democracy Day.
He said that only a qualitative democratic culture on the electorate and government at all tiers would engender improved democracy in the country.
“The impunity is still there, with high degree of corruption and hostility in both the electorate and political parties.
“We thought we have improved, but recent events show that the electorate still don’t know the value of their votes without monetary influence,’’ he said.
The ISIEC boss, who called for political discipline in Nigeria, said that it was time for the country to embrace all-inclusive democracy.
He explained that democracy must embody freedom of speech and other fundamental concepts crucial in guaranteeing human rights’ protection in spite of the challenges it entailed.
He urged Nigerians to collectively rise to the challenges of building a virile electoral process for a greater nation.
Amaechi, a former speaker of Imo House of Assembly, lauded the efforts of the former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, “for giving Nigeria’s electoral process a facelift’’.
He said that it was imperative for the nation to maintain Jega’s electoral reforms.
He expressed confidence in the capability of Nigerians to build a vibrant democratic culture, adding that more needed to be done to attain enviable height in democratisation.
Amaechi reiterated the need to end the culture of impunity in the polity “for a prosperous Nigeria where democracy will be truly practicable’’.
According to him, we cannot continue to do things the same
way and expect change; we must turn away from our old ways to make impact.