Be accountable to voters, Tambuwal tells politicians

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, has charged politicians to be accountable to the electorate through transparent representation in order to seek support during elections.

Tambuwal spoke in Calabar, Cross River State during an empowerment programme organised by the member representing Bakassi, Akpabuyo and Calabar South federal constituency in the National Assembly, Mr. Essien Ayi.

The state Governor Liyel Imoke, who also attended the ceremony, agreed with Tambuwal that the era of politicians luring electorate with peanuts during elections was over.

“Politicians in the country must be accountable to the people through transparent representation if they must get their support in subsequent elections,” he said.

Tambuwal commended Ayi for working in close touch with the members of his constituency as evidenced by the crowd which graced the occasion.

The Speaker said he believed that such gesture would be replicated by other representatives of the people in both state and national assemblies.

In his remarks, Imoke said, “Representation means attracting things due your people to them. It is fulfilling your obligations to your people, carrying them along in your plans knowing full well that without them, you cannot be a politician that you are.

“Everybody has a right to aspire but your aspiration must be in conformity with the wishes and aspiration of the people themselves. If you must aspire tomorrow, the people would want to know how paramount they are in your plans and political calculations.”

In his comment, Ayi said he had spent about N2bn in delivering both constituency projects and empowerment initiatives.

He added, “I am conscious of the army of well-educated but jobless youths and the need to re-invigorate the confidence of our people.”

Ayi explained that most of those empowered were already trained in computer, telecommunications services, photography, laundry, barbing, hairdressing, which therefore qualified them as beneficiaries.

Apart from the 80 who benefited last year, 107 men and women were given various empowerment items such as refrigerators, gas cookers, generators, clippers amongst others, while major stakeholders and supporters were given 30 vehicles of different made.

PUNCH