Former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, has said that democracy can only be said to have matured in Nigeria when a sitting president is defeated in an election.

Oshiomhole, who has been declared the governor-elect of Edo State, spoke in Jos on Wednesday as a guest speaker at the Jos branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, 2008 Law Week and 11th Justice Dauda Azaki Memorial Lecture. He told the crowd of legal luminaries that graced the event, that the Bar must continue to compel political office holders to be accountable to Nigerians.

According to him, the consequence of having an unelected leadership leads to bad governance. He said that for the country to move forward, the right leadership must be elected by the people.

Oshiomhole said that the cost of maintaining a single senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by the tax payers‘ money under the current dispensation was higher than what it would take to maintain a senator in the United States of America. He said that it was unbelievable and mind boggling that an average senator took from Nigeria’s coffers more than N100m in 12 months even though the gross domestic product of the country was a fraction of that of the US. He bemoaned the involvement of the police in election rigging in Nigeria, stressing that the President should be able to stand up to tell the Inspector-General of Police to punish any of his men caught in the act. He said that such a standing order will make IGP to be serious with his officers and men.

Chairman of Jos branch of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Caleb G Dajan, said this year‘s law week of Jos branch of NBA and the 11th Hon justice Dauda Azaki Memorial lecture was carefully chosen as it adequately captures and expresses our concern and desire to make contribution to the growth of the legal profession in Nigeria.