Senator Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, has said Nigerians must accept part of the blame for the poor leadership they complain about, arguing that politicians are products of the society from which they emerge.
Ndume spoke on Wednesday 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 responding to remarks by Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, who criticised the political class over the politicisation of ethnicity and religion and their role in Nigeria’s security and governance challenges.
“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.
Ndume said citizens must recognise their responsibility because politicians 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 said citizens also play a role in ending electoral malpractice, including rigging.
“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 examine the quality of people they support and the political processes through which leaders emerge.
He also said he had never been to a police station before entering politics but had subsequently been 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 urged Nigerians to become more involved in politics if they want better governance.
“You put garbage in, you expect something good out of it? It’s not possible,” he added.
