The Labour Party on Wednesday urged President Bola Tinubu to make public offices unattractive to promote the delivery of democratic dividends in the country.
The LP National Deputy Chairman, Dr. Ayo Olorunfemi, made the call in a chat with journalists in Lagos.
He was reacting to the president’s broadcast to mark the 25th anniversary of democracy in Nigeria.
The LP chieftain stressed that violence, hooliganism, killing, and unhealthy competition marred elections because public offices remained lucrative and attractive to politicians.
He said: “The kind of huge resources we use to run our democracy cannot allow ordinary Nigerians to benefit from the system, hence the reason our economy is always under pressure.
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“The cost of democracy here has removed most of the gains of the system in Nigeria. We can see hardship everywhere in rural and urban areas.
“The idea of democracy is for the majority of the people to benefit from the government they installed by themselves, as against the few benefitting from the system now.
“The people’s votes must count and their views must hold sway, not only in elections but in policies.
“If we truly want to develop as a democratic nation, we must have the right people in government and make political offices unattractive.
“This will pave the way for only the serious-minded to get involved, not for money making but for real service to the people.”
He called for honorarium for public office holders instead of a salary for democracy to work for the people.
“We must reduce the cost of governance here to the berest minimum if democracy must make meaning to the masses in Nigeria.
“Democracy is about the people. People must matter. With our democracy today, spanning 25 years, can we say the people matter in elections and policies,” he added.
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