Legendary Nigerian Economist Pat Utomi Confirming His Retirement from Politics
Pat Utomi rules out accepting any future appointments or running for public office again.
In an exclusive interview on May 9th on Channels Television's Politics Today, renowned political economist, Pat Utomi, announced that he will no longer accept any political appointments or seek public office again, ABC News reports.
This declaration comes after the conservative party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), heavily criticized Utomi for likening President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Adolf Hitler. The APC, led by Felix Morka, its National Publicity Secretary, slammed Utomi for his comparison, stating it as reckless and insensitive [1][3].
Utomi, however, responded to Morka's criticisms in the interview, maintaining that his intensions were never personal but aimed at improving the democratic process and challenging the current administration on key issues [3].
"You know, I don't want to talk too much about Felix Morka. It's disturbing to my sense of properness. Felix Morka is someone I consider a friend, and I used to spend a lot of time in my house." He said [3].
Utomi further addressed Morka's claim that he (Utomi) was unilaterally declaring a "shadow government". The economist clarified that this "shadow government" is merely a structured way for citizens to demand greater accountability from the government [3].
"Shadow government? Shadow government being, what did you say it was? In a presidential democracy. Yeah. Nothing can be more democratic than a group of citizens getting together to say, let's find a structured way of asking governments to be more accountable," he added [3].
Venturing further into the state of democracy and politics in Nigeria, Utomi lamented the focus on personal ambition instead of ideas, values, and vision for the society, which he believes has led to the loss of the purpose of serving the people [3]. He also emphasized the significance of having a strong opposition, viable opposition, and rational public conversations in a presidential system [3].
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References
- All Progressives Congress (APC) Stronlly Criticizes Pat Utomi Over Hitler Comparison
- Pat Utomi Responds to APC Over Hitler Comparison
- Pat Utomi Quits Politics - Confirms He Would Never Accept Any Political Appointment Again
- Pat Utomi's Hitler Comparision: APC Hits Back at Political Economist
- In an exclusive interview, renowned Nigerian economist Pat Utomi announced his retirement from politics, stating he will no longer accept political appointments or seek public office.
- The decision comes after the All Progressives Congress (APC) heavily criticized Utomi for likening President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to Adolf Hitler.
- APC's National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, called Utomi's comparison reckless and insensitive, but the economist maintained his intentions were to improve the democratic process.
- Utomi and Morka had a friendly relationship, with the economist expressing regret about the criticism and stating Morka was a friend who spent a lot of time in his home.
- Morka also claimed Utomi was unilaterally declaring a "shadow government," to which Utomi responded that the term refers to citizens demanding greater accountability from the government.
- Utomi noted the current state of democracy and politics in Nigeria, lamenting the focus on personal ambition instead of ideas, values, and vision for society.
- He emphasized the need for a strong opposition, viable opposition, and rational public conversations in a presidential system, and related content discussed political turmoil, defections, and reactions within the All Progressives Congress (APC) and People's Democratic Party (PDP), as well as related news on crime and justice.
