From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi
The Anglican Bishop, Diocese of Amichi, Rt. Rev. Ephraim Ikeakor, has berated Nigerian political leaders, describing them as looters in disguise, who are leading without the interest of the masses at heart.
Bishop Ikeakor said the masses should not expect any positive change in governance from the politicians who loot the nation’s treasury since they have no regard for the welfare of the people they lead.
The bishop also qualified a great number of the Nigerian leaders as non-career politicians, who could not boast of any clear-cut political ideology except to lead and make sure their personal interests are served.
Ikeakor who spoke at the Immanuel Church, Akwihedi, Nnewi South Local Government Area, Anambra State, during a pre-Synod press briefing and final inspection of the Church by the Bishop in readiness for the 2025 Diocesan Synod, also condemned the rate and frequency at which politicians are defecting from one political party to the party at the centre.
“That shows they are there for business and their only interest is to grab power to loot against the provision of dividends of democracy for the people who voted them to power,” he added.
He queried why those politicians should be defecting in droves to embrace a party (apparently referring to the All Progressives Congress) that has inflicted pains to Nigerians.
He described the defectors with their campaign for continuity barely two years into a four-year tenure as stupidity in the highest order, adding that it smacked of interest deficiency in what to do to alleviate the sufferings of the masses.
His words: “We have business men in politics in Nigeria, we don’t have carrier politicians, we have politicians without political ideology in Nigeria. It is also unfortunate that we have looters whom we the masses mistake for political leaders in Nigeria.
“That is why you see them after spending just two years of their four-years tenure, they are engaging in subtle campaigns of continuity, defecting and endorsing a failed government and its political party. That is the deadly state of Nigerian politics.
“Campaigning now portends foolishness and lack of seriousness on our political leaders, it means taking the citizens for granted. It is foolishness and insensitivity of leadership to the sufferings of the citizens. They are taking the citizens for granted, you just spent two years of four-year tenure and you are talking about second tenure. Is that not madness?
“Nigeria under the present administration is directionless. As a person, I don’t know where we are heading for, and we have politicians who don’t care about the masses, I pray God will turn their hearts.
“I don’t know how God will judge the members of the National Assembly. Those people are the most callous Nigerians. We have a driver in this country, but we don’t know where he and members of the National Assembly are driving us to.
“It is sad that someone has come on board and counting two years in office and yet you have not sat down to examine where we are and you are now gathering your wicked cult to endorse you for 2027, when you have not finished the first half of your first tenure of office. Honestly, I don’t know if our politicians have conscience.
“I do not know where we are going to under the present administration, but the truth of the matter remains that if you expect something different from this administration, you will blame yourself, because everybody knows how we voted in 2023 and whom we voted for.
“On the politicians flocking into one party, you should not be surprised. You will only be surprised, if you don’t understand Nigerian politics. We don’t have career politicians, we have businessmen politicians. Let me tell you one of the critical qualifications of a sound politician is ideology. Can you tell me the political ideology of any political party or politician in this country? They don’t have any ideology.
“Do you see the kind of jumping from one party to another you have in Nigeria. That can’t happen in a country like America where there is political ideology and decorum, you hardly see a Republican jumping into the Democratic party at random. They have ideologies that are different from each other, but in Nigeria where you don’t have any ideology you can be elected in one party today and tomorrow you jump into another party.
“There is no political ideology in Nigeria, what we have are people thinking of what to do to grab the next position and what to do to retain the seat of power they occupy so that they can continue their looting and the corruption they are known for.
“So, I’m not surprised about the defections and endorsements going on, we have looters whom we mistake for political leaders and you see how things are going in the country.
“If you are in one party, and as a governor, immediately you finish your tenure and they gather every evidence of your looting, corruption and embezzlement, once they move to EFCC against you, have you followed the trend of how the cases end, once they are closing in on you the only way to become innocent is to switch over to the party in power because your sins are forgiven there.”