Mantu advises politicians to change their attitude to promote democracy

Former Deputy Senate President, Ibrahim Mantu on Sunday in Abuja called for attitudinal change among politicians with a view to promote the country’s democracy.

Mantu, who is also a member, Board of Trustee, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), made the call in Abuja at book launch titled, “The Legacy of Atiku Abubakar on Nation-Building.”

The 14-chapter book was authored by Rev. Chukwudi Eke, Senior Special Assistant on Political Matters to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta.

According to Mantu, Nigeria has a long time of uninterrupted democratic rule from 1999 to 2019 and one would have expected that democratic culture and practice should been deepened by now.

“Unfortunately, it is sad to say that Nigeria has not actually captured the basic principles of democratic practice and political parties lacked internal democracy, which is the basis of fair leadership.

“I will like to advise my colleagues that we should part with the old ways of doing things, which has not taken us forward.

“The time has come for us to move Nigeria forward.

“Nigeria cannot move forward until we are born again and we do things according to the dictates of our constitution and the fear of God.

“As far as I am concerned, I believe that jumping from one party to the other does not make you a new person.

“People who think they can baptize themselves by jumping from one party to the other are deceiving themselves and deceiving people because they remain who they are,’’ Mantu said.

Mantu said what was needed was a genuine change of the heart, adding that it was important that politicians remained constant and consistent.

According to him, it would allow them use their experiences to correct the ills of the parties because trial and error would make something perfect.

While commending the author of the book, Mantu said that for a man from Delta to write about Atiku from Adamawa was a ray of hope for a new Nigeria.

Mantu stressed the need for a new Nigeria devoid of tribalism and a place where Nigerians would embrace each other regardless of their regions or political affiliations.

Earlier, Eke stressed the need to showcase Atiku’s legacies informed his decision to write the book.

“This is because Atiku has the potential to contribute to nation building as demonstrated in the manner he grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit from his teenage age where he built his mum a house.

“This book is an effort to critically assess the vision, speeches and works of Atiku Abubakar in terms of nation-building against the backdrop or restructuring, industrialisation and economic development of Nigeria.

Our correspondent reports that the book objectively analyses how the thoughts, words and works of Atiku are profoundly geared toward changing the economic fortunes, geopolitical landscape and social conditions of Nigeria.