MIRIAM NNOLI 
Ahead of the 2027 general election, a Professor of Political Economy and chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), Pat Utomi, has revealed that he won’t seek any political office in Nigeria again.
Utomi made the declaration on Friday, while speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to the political analyst, he won’t accept any appointment or contract from any Nigerian government.
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.
He encouraged Nigerians to read the Afrobarometer, a yearly survey that has collected opinions across African countries since 1999.
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He added that data shows that Africans still believe in democracy but are tired and disappointed because it is not working well.
“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 contract.
“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?
“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.
“It states that Africans still love democracy, cling to it but they are tired because their democracies are not working.
“Any serious democrat has to read this data, longitudinal data showing that people are fed up with what we call democracy.” he said.
