Why Nigeria’s elections are based on rigging – Pat Utomi

Political-economist, Professor Pat Utomi, has said elections in Nigeria are based on rigging because some government officials steal from the treasury and use the same to run political parties. 

Utomi made the observation during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Tuesday.

• Police deploy personnel to man correctional facilities in Akwa Ibom
• IGR: Fayemi to upgrade Ekiti’s cultural tourism

Utomi noted that many politicians used public funds to run major political parties, adding that those who don’t have access to the treasury settled for small parties.

He however said with the Labour Party, things were changing.

He said the two leading political parties in the country had failed Nigerians, saying the Labour Party is out to redeem the damage.

The professor added, “I was there at the founding of the PDP and I understand that it would not going to take Nigeria where it should go. I was there at the founding of APC and I saw a disaster in the making and I began to think.

“Examining things, I came to the simple conclusion; in structural economics there is paradigm called structure-conduct-performance paradigm.

“Structure usually affects conduct; the behavior of the players within that space. Depending on how weak or strong the institutions are, the result and outcome. It’s clear to me that nature of the structure of PDP and APC is based on transaction; you give and take.”