Professor of Political Economy, Pat Utomi, has claimed he will no longer contest for any political office in Nigeria.
Utomi also insisted he will not accept any appointment or government contract.
He said this on Friday during an interview on Politics Today on Channels Television.
“Let me state clearly: I will not run for public office, I will not accept an appointment, contract by any government in Nigeria. My only concern is the well-being of the next generation.
“I have lived my life decently without government money or stealing anybody’s thing. I want to take that away from people who talk nonsense like, ‘Oh, he is looking for a contract’,” Utomi said.
Speaking about the idea of a shadow government, he described it as a democratic way for citizens to come together and demand that the government be more accountable.
“Nothing can be more democratic than a group of citizens coming together to find a structured way of asking the government to be more accountable. What could be more democratic than that?” he asked.
He encouraged Nigerians to read the Afrobarometer, a yearly survey that has collected opinions across African countries since 1999.
He said it gives deep insights into how citizens feel about democracy.
“I usually pre-phase this conversation with what we’ve done to the African. There are Afrobarometer readings, an annual survey that has been going on since 1999, of how Nigerians, Africans generally, in every country, with all kinds of details. I mean all kinds of details.
“I want all Nigerians and who really want to understand what has happened to our country to go and study the Afrobarometer readings,” he said.
