Labour leader submits form to vie for Kwara governorship

An executive council member of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and governorship aspirant in Kwara State, Issa Aremu, has called for what he called “quality control” of the country’s democratic process through the inculcation of ethics of discipline and integrity in politics.

He made the observation while submitting his formal Expression of Interest at the Labour Party headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.

The Labour leader said notwithstanding the ongoing political discordant voices, Nigeria remains “the largest democracy destination” in Sub-Sahara Africa with as many as 80 million voters and 68 political parties registered by INEC.

Mr Aremu, however, lamented that “political entrepreneurs” had since replaced genuine politicians of the first and second democratic republic adding that with defections, “most today’s politicians stood for nothing but fell for anything.”

According to him, the urgent need for quality control of democratic process motivated him to contest for the governorship of Kwara State.

“It is now time to have quality democratic process. And we need quality people to drive the process. One step is to bring back ethics to politics and politics to ethics. We must therefore encourage a new Democratic culture that serves the people.” he said.

Mr Aremu also called for the enforcement of section 23 of the 1999 constitution dealing with critical national ethics such as Discipline, Integrity, Dignity of Labour, Social, Justice, Religious Tolerance, Self-reliance and Patriotism within the ranks of the political class. He said what Nigeria needs urgently was healthy contest of ideas not conquest of posts however “juicy” adding that Nigeria needed “certain level of discipline among the political participants for sustainable democracy. He hailed the achievements of Labour Party in the last 14 years of its existence having produced a two term governor, a number of federal and state legislators with a promise that if elected as the governor of Kwara, he would further mainstream LP in Nigerian and African politics.

“Political parties are the major institutions of a functioning democracy. Nigeria has the highest number of political parties in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nigeria has possibly conducted elections in quick successions than the norm in some other African countries. Nigeria is certainly positioned to teach others about how to conduct elections.” he said.

On hand to receive him and his entourage at the Labour Party office in Abuja were the National Chairman of the Party, A.A. Salam, Ag. National Secretary, Julius Abure, and National Vice Chairman, North Central, Adi Shirsha Adi