Politics shouldn’t be full-time career – APGA

2026-03-05 - 22:36

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) says politics should not be a full-time career, arguing that professionals outside government are more likely to promote accountable governance. APGA National President, Sly Ezeokenwa, stated this during a media interaction on Thursday in Lagos while outlining the party’s philosophy and leadership approach. Ezeokenwa said the party encouraged officials to maintain professional careers outside politics to discourage corruption and the monetisation of political processes. According to him, the party’s philosophy, championed by its national leader, promotes productive engagement among members and discourages dependency on political office. “In APGA, we try to develop a model of politics that recognises that politics is not a business. “People should build careers, and if you are a party officer, you should maintain meaningful professional engagement. “If you are not productively engaged, that is what leads to vices such as trading nomination platforms for money. “Even as national chairman, I still go to court because election petitions are part of my professional practice,” Ezeokenwa said. Addressing debates on the Electoral Act, he said legislation was enacted collectively by lawmakers and should not be blamed on a single political party. He noted that criticism directed at one party ignored the legislative process in a democratic system. “If the National Assembly enacts a law, you don’t need to say ‘I opposed it’ or ‘I supported it.’ “Like we always say in democracy, the minority will have their say, but the majority will have their way. “It is not an act of APC members of the National Assembly; it is an act of the National Assembly. “Once the president assents to it, it becomes a law binding on all citizens,” Ezeokenwa said. He also addressed controversies surrounding electronic transmission of results during the 2023 presidential election. Ezeokenwa argued that many critics lacked a proper understanding of the electoral process. “Most of the people who talked about transmission of results know little or nothing about the electoral process,” he said. He explained that electronic transmission was introduced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enhance transparency and voter confidence. “The presiding officer scans the result sheet and uploads it to the INEC Result Viewing Portal. “The essence is simply for Nigerians anywhere to log onto the portal and view results in real time,” he said. Ezeokenwa maintained that election outcomes are determined by documented polling unit results and evidence presented before tribunals. According to him, claims of irregularities must be supported with alternative result sheets from party agents. “If you want to determine whether an election was rigged, the primary document is the certified true copy of the result. “Till date, nobody has produced an alternative result sheet; the only thing I hear is that INEC breached its guideline. “If they breached their guideline, have you brought an alternative result to show the declared results are different?” he queried. Ezeokenwa also criticised confusion between electronic transmission of results and the collation process. “People confuse transmission of results to the portal with collation; they are different things. “Electronic transmission simply means scanning the result and sending it to the viewing portal. “The law recognises that results are physically delivered by the presiding officer to the collation officer,” he said. He said the ongoing debate highlighted the need for greater public understanding of Nigeria’s electoral system ahead of future elections, including the 2027 presidential poll. (NAN)