The President of the Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Most. Rev. Lucius Ugorji has expressed deep regret over what he described as a high level of irregularities experienced during the last elections in the country.
Speaking on Sunday, when he paid a pastoral visit to St. Mary’s Catholic Parish, Iho Dimeze in Ikeduru Local Government of Imo State, the Archbishop said that Nigerians have never had a happy story to tell about elections in Nigeria
He said: “Taking a critical look at Nigeria’s democratic environment,” Archbishop Ugorji said: “Good governance begins with credible, free and fair elections”.
Archbishop Ugorji pointed out that the most unfortunate thing is that the management of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the country treats the people to what he called, “the more you look, the less you see”.
He said: “Nigerian citizens know those that can effectively manage the nation’s resources but the sad thing is that elected few, transformed themselves into a cabal and have continued to unilaterally decide who should run the nation’s affairs”.
The President and the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese observed that there were lots of irregularities in the last election, adding that Nigerians are yet to get over the problems arising from the illicit happenings in the last general election.
On the election matter before the tribunal, Ugorji reminded the Judges charged with the responsibilities of adjudicating over election matters that Nigerians are waiting for their decisions.
According to him, these judges should see the challenge before them as crucial and divine insisting that they cannot afford the luxury of disappointing Nigeria and Nigerians, in the discharge of their current national assignment.
Archbishop called for what he tagged “a more purposeful electoral reform in Nigeria
He said: “We are looking forward to when people’s vote must count. We are also looking forward to a reform which will ensure that a victor in all electoral contests, must truly emerge before being sworn in.”
He blamed the Government’s failure to address the lingering inequitable distribution of the nation’s wealth and the persistent faulty electoral process as the bane of unknown gunmen, kidnapping, Fulani herdsmen and agitations from different parts of the country.
He said: “The 2020 World Bank Report is a pointer to the suffering in our land. According to the report, only one per cent of the 80 per cent of the nation’s oil is sold, gets to the masses”.
He regretted that the bulk of this revenue is sadly cornered by those in power, their cronies and relations, while the rest of us sulk in abject penury.
According to him the problem of inequitable distribution of the nation’s resources remains palpable and until our government finds a way out of the quagmire, we may never move forward.
