PORT HARCOURT/Nigeria: Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has expressed concern over the persistent low turnout of voters during elections across the country, attributing the trend to widespread rigging and systemic manipulation that have eroded public trust in the electoral process.
Governor Otti, who spoke through former Senate Minority Chief Whip, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, at the opening ceremony of the first International Conference on “Advancing Politics and Governance for Sustainable Development” held at the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, lamented that despite the huge sums expended on political mobilization, citizens are increasingly losing interest in voting due to disenchantment, especially after the 2023 general elections.
“You find out that there is a continued decline in voters’ turnout in successive elections, despite the rising cost of political mobilization,” Otti stated, adding that the credibility of elections and the fairness of the political process remain key to sustaining citizens’ participation and confidence in democracy.
He urged African leaders to prioritize reforms that would advance politics and governance, noting that genuine development is rooted in the fair distribution of resources and opportunities. “Development in simple language is the fair distribution of resources among the people,” the governor emphasized.
Chairman of the conference, Tonye Princewill, in his opening remarks, underscored that sustainable development in Africa cannot be achieved merely through economic growth or natural resource endowment but through the quality of politics and the strength of governance.
“When politics is reduced to competition for power rather than a platform for service, progress falters,” Princewill said. “When governance becomes transactional instead of transformational, development becomes a mirage. But when politics is guided by vision, values, and verifiable impact, and when governance is rooted in transparency, inclusion, and accountability, nations rise.”
He described the conference as a defining moment for Africa’s future, noting that citizens across the continent are increasingly demanding accountable leadership that delivers tangible results. “Our youth are challenging old paradigms, our civil societies are driving accountability, and our universities are producing knowledge. This convergence of energy, intellectual, political, and civic, is the foundation of a new Africa,” he added.
Princewill urged participants to move from rhetoric to results, stressing that leadership should be seen as a trust, governance as a system, and development as a continuous process driven by courage, collaboration, and consistency.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Martin Amaewhule, commended the organizers and reflected on the challenges facing legislative institutions in Nigeria. He said his tenure as Speaker had been marked by efforts to preserve the independence of the legislature, despite controversies and institutional pressures.
“The legislature has become an endangered institution,” Amaewhule noted, referencing the demolition of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex. He added that several actions taken by the Assembly under his leadership, including the elongation of local government chairmen’s tenure, had since been validated by the Supreme Court.
The international conference, themed “Politics, Resource Governance, and Sustainable Development in Africa,” attracted participants and scholars from Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States (U.S.), Canada, and Australia. It focused on strengthening democratic governance and fostering inclusive development across the continent.
