Mr Terry Godfrey, Rivers Chairman, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), on Friday said lack of ideology in Nigeria’s political system was capable of truncating its democracy.
Godfrey said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Port Harcourt while speaking on defection of party members from one party to another.
He said that greed and avarice had always remained the reason for the traffic of some politicians who had thrown caution in the wind.
“If the political system had recognised ideology as the basis of political participation, then it would have been very difficult for politicians to interchange parties.
“It is time to strengthen our political system in order to save our democracy because the more people flirt, the more our democracy weakens,’’ Godfrey said.
The chairman explained that democracy could not be said to be an “open window for peace and development’’ if its participants had no broad-based vision.
Godfrey, therefore, advised politicians to shun irresponsible attitudes, which he described as a brazen threat to the political future of the country.
Godfrey, who urged politicians to demonstrate the highest level of patriotism in their pursuit of power, described patriotism as a principle that ought to be obeyed.
The chairman emphasised the imperatives of playing by the rules, saying that ideology was necessary for a political decorum.
According to him, any nation that is bereft of political ideology, always gets it all wrong, it experiences poverty, unrest and other challenges.
Godfrey explained that it was the responsibility of politicians to rise above selfish and nefarious inclinations, and embrace the true tenets of democracy.
He said that good governance could not be attained without due pursuance of democratic principles. (NAN)
