Senator Henry Seriake Dickson has issued a stark warning that Nigeria's political elite are systematically destroying the nation's democracy and institutions, describing their actions as "class suicide."
Speaking at a one-day workshop organized by the Nigeria Civil Society's Alliance for Democratic Change (NCSADC) in Abuja, the former two-term governor of Bayelsa State delivered a scathing critique of his fellow politicians.
"The Nigerian political class has killed this country, and you guys [civil society] should not let it happen. They are killing Nigeria; they are making this country look small," Dickson declared.
The senator lamented the widespread practice of politicians frequently switching parties and manipulating democratic institutions for personal gain. He expressed particular concern about the subversion of bodies like the judiciary and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
"Our own democracy is the wishes and caprices of the president or a governor. They don't even care how the world looks at Nigeria," he stated, adding that the judiciary has become "helpless" and reduced to reading "body language" rather than upholding the rule of law.
Dickson further accused the ruling political elite of misusing federal security institutions for electoral advantage. "They want to control INEC, they want results written for them. They use DSS, police, and the army, not to protect the people but to kill and suppress them during elections. That is the hallmark of a failed country."
The lawmaker highlighted a growing disconnect between elected officials and their constituents, noting that many politicians have become inaccessible to ordinary citizens. "They don't even take calls from their people. Their homes are too big, too beautiful. Their people can't even access them," he lamented.
"They know they don't need the people to win elections. The system allows them to impose themselves," Dickson added, pointing to a fundamental breakdown in representative democracy.
The senator charged civil society groups with the critical responsibility of holding the political class accountable and defending democracy from collapse. "If a political class does not believe in free and fair elections, in the rule of law, in an impartial judiciary, then they are not just destroying the country, they are destroying themselves. That's class suicide."
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