Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, has said Nigerians should accept part of the responsibility for the poor leadership they often criticise, arguing that politicians emerge from the society they govern.
Ndume made the remarks on Wednesday during the public presentation of Military Transformational Leadership in Action: The Buratai Era, held at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre and Suites in Asokoro, Abuja.
He was responding to comments by Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, who had criticised the political class over the use of ethnicity and religion in politics and their impact on Nigeria’s security and governance challenges.
Ndume said focusing all criticism on politicians overlooks the role citizens play in choosing the people who eventually occupy public offices.
“Every blame is on the politician. And I’m a politician, though accidental, or maybe, forced or recruited into it. But I’m a realist. I live with the situation I find myself, and I’m proud of it,” he said.
‘POLITICS IS ABOUT PEOPLE’
The senator said citizens have an important role to play in the democratic process because political leaders ultimately emerge from the electorate.
“Politics is people; politics is one way to run democracy, and what is democracy? It’s the government of the people, for the people, and by the people. From all discussions, now the blame goes down to us, and we are your product,” he said.
He also argued that citizens have a responsibility to help tackle electoral malpractice, including the manipulation of elections.
“And by the way, you are to be blamed because even if it is through rigging, it is you people that do the rigging to bring us in. So, if you put us here, we are doing your bidding,” he said.
‘YOU PUT GARBAGE IN, THEN EXPECT SOMETHING GOOD OUT’
Ndume urged Nigerians to pay closer attention to the people they support politically and the processes through which leaders emerge.
He linked the quality of governance to the choices and actions of citizens, saying society should also examine its own role in the leadership it produces.
“And God says that he does not bring leaders different from the followers. I think part of this is something that we look at very well, so that you make sure that we have democracy, and when we have democracy, we would have good governance,” Ndume said.
The lawmaker also reflected on his own experience in public life, revealing that he had never visited a police station before entering politics but later found himself imprisoned twice.
“I was a senate leader, I was a chief whip recently, I went to prison twice. Before I came into politics, I’ve never gone to police station,” Ndume said.
He encouraged Nigerians to become more actively involved in the political process if they want to see improvements in governance.
“You put garbage in, you expect something good out of it? It’s not possible,” he added.
