Senator Ali Ndume has turned the spotlight on Nigerians over the country’s leadership challenges, saying citizens cannot completely blame politicians for the poor governance they complain about.
Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, said Nigerians play a major role in determining who emerges as their leaders and must therefore accept responsibility for the outcome of the democratic process.
The lawmaker spoke on Wednesday, September 16, at the public presentation of Military Transformational Leadership in Action: The Buratai Era, held at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre and Suites, Asokoro, Abuja.
He was reacting to remarks by the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who had criticised the political class over the politicisation of ethnicity and religion and its contribution to Nigeria’s security and governance challenges.
Ndume argued that focusing solely on politicians ignores the role citizens play in producing the leadership they later criticise.
“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.
The senator said politicians do not emerge in isolation, stressing that democracy ultimately places power in the hands of the people.
“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.
Ndume further argued that citizens also bear responsibility when leaders emerge through electoral malpractice, saying those involved in manipulating elections are Nigerians themselves.
“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.
He urged Nigerians to pay greater attention to the quality of candidates they support and the processes through which political leaders emerge.
“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 Borno senator also called for greater citizen participation in politics, saying Nigerians seeking better governance must become more involved in the democratic process.
“You put garbage in, you expect something good out of it? It’s not possible,” he said
