By Perpetua Onuegbu
Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Dr Chibuzor Okereke has urged Nigerians to reclaim their democratic energy by holding elected leaders locate forward of the 2027 normal elections.
Okereke stated residents should perceive that sovereignty belongs to them and train their constitutional rights to find out who governs them.
He stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that political events should mobilise the residents to take possession of Nigeria’s democracy and strengthen democratic participation.
Okereke harassed that residents’ collective energy would surpass that of political officeholders in the event that they remained organised and adequately knowledgeable about their rights.
“When we talk about sovereignty, it belongs to the people, it is not offered. It is a fundamental right that is enshrined, which must be exercised by the citizens. To exercise it, you need knowledge of that right.
“It is time for citizens to realise that the power of the people, will always be greater than the people in power, only if the citizens are organised.
“Remember, the people in power are just a subset of a small group of the citizens therefore, we must not allow the less of us to be in charge of all of us and still complain when we can all come together and make our democracy work.
“Every employee has reverential fear for his organisation and the chief executive. The people that were put in power must have reverential fear for the citizens.
“To achieve this, the citizens must own back the power to hire and fire. And that means our electoral process must have integrity,” he stated.
Okereke added that electoral integrity required residents’ energetic participation in defending the electoral course of and making certain that their votes mirrored their decisions.
According to him, LP’s manifesto prioritised the welfare of Nigerians, including that people-centred governance ought to information infrastructure growth, financial insurance policies, budgeting and job creation.
“If we invest in our people, if we focus on our people, it will affect the design of our infrastructure. It will affect the design of our economic policies. It will affect even our budgeting system.
“Budget has a face, it has a character. When you look at a budget, you will know if it is designed to empower and improve the well-being of the people. So across all policy value chain, across all sectors, there is a new thinking we are bringing on board.”
The presidential candidate stated governance should deal with residents’ wants slightly than deal with opposition voices as the one various views deserving consideration in policymaking.
He famous that the occasion was properly ready to take over the reins of presidency come 2027, including that Nigerians throughout political divides wished governments that might enhance their dwelling circumstances, create alternatives and promote financial prosperity.
Okereke described Labour occasion because the political platform of Nigerian employees, citing its hyperlinks with the labour motion and organised labour.
He stated employees’ welfare, together with the fee of salaries, pensions and gratuities, remained central to its imaginative and prescient of governance.
Okereke expressed confidence that its people-focused insurance policies may very well be prolonged nationally, citing enhancements in employees’ welfare in Abia, ruled by the occasion as instance.
He added that enhancing residents’ happiness and well-being would encourage innovation, productiveness and sustainable nationwide growth.(NAN)
Edited by Francis Onyeukwu
