{"id":33021,"date":"2026-04-16T22:43:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:43:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=33021"},"modified":"2026-04-16T22:43:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T22:43:59","slug":"dafinone-advocates-shift-from-rhetoric-to-practical-solutions-in-addressing-nigerias-governance-challenges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/?p=33021","title":{"rendered":"Dafinone Advocates Shift From Rhetoric to Practical Solutions in Addressing Nigeria\u2019s Governance Challenges"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Delta Central Senator, Ede Dafinone, has called for a shift from rhetoric to practical solutions in addressing Nigeria\u2019s governance challenges, warning that electoral victories must translate into tangible benefits for citizens.<\/p>\n

Dafinone spoke at the 3rd Advocate Lecture Series organised by Advocate Publication Ltd, publishers of Advocate Newspaper, where he emphasised the need for reform ahead of the 2027 elections. The lecture, themed \u201cFrom Ballot to Patronage: Why Electoral Victory Fails to Deliver Good Governance in Nigeria,\u201d drew stakeholders from across the political and civic space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am always glad when conversations like this move beyond identifying problems to offering real solutions,\u201d Dafinone said. \u201cIt is easy to talk about what is wrong, but far more important to focus on how we can fix it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing concerns about a possible one-party dominance, the senator noted that defections to ruling parties were not a new phenomenon. \u201cAs we approach the 2027 elections, many Nigerians are expressing concerns about a possible one-party state. However, this is a common mid-term political trend we have seen since 1999,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Nigeria\u2019s electoral history, Dafinone observed that while the process has improved, challenges remain. \u201cIn 2023, Nigerians were more aware and votes were more credible. However, we still face the problem of vote-buying, which reflects a deeper issue\u2014many Nigerians feel their votes do not count,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also justified recent economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies, noting that they were necessary despite current hardships. \u201cPrevious leaders avoided these decisions to remain popular, but the current administration chose the hard path. I want to assure Nigerians that the benefits will come,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

In his keynote address, Dr. Charles Apoki delivered a blunt assessment of Nigeria\u2019s democratic system, arguing that citizens have lost ownership of governance. \u201cThat is not democracy. Democracy is government of the people, by the people, and for the people. But in Nigeria today, the people do not own the government,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Apoki attributed this disconnect to widespread political ignorance and vote commodification. \u201cNigerians sell their rights for small amounts of money, and politicians turn personal interests into public concerns,\u201d he noted, adding that many aspiring leaders lack concrete development plans.<\/p>\n

He further criticised the high cost of politics, describing it as a barrier to credible leadership. \u201cPolitics in Nigeria is too expensive. Those who win often focus on recovering their expenses rather than serving the people, leading to a system dominated by godfathers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of Advocate Publication Ltd, Shedrack Onitsha, explained that the theme was chosen to address the disconnect between electoral success and governance outcomes. \u201cOver the years, we have discovered that election does not translate to good governance. Governments come with promises, but at the end, there is little to show,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The event, held at Wetland Hotel, Ughelli, Delta State, featured panel discussions and goodwill messages from dignitaries, including Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, who was represented alongside other stakeholders, as participants called for reforms to strengthen institutions and ensure that democracy delivers real dividends to Nigerians.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Delta Central Senator, Ede Dafinone, has called for a shift from rhetoric to practical solutions in addressing Nigeria\u2019s governance challenges, warning that electoral victories must translate into tangible benefits for citizens. Dafinone spoke at the 3rd Advocate Lecture Series organised by Advocate Publication Ltd, publishers of Advocate Newspaper, where he emphasised the need for reform […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":33022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/IMG-20260416-WA0001-e1776379390108.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4oswh-8AB","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33021","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33021"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33021\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33023,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33021\/revisions\/33023"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/33022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33021"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33021"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/newsroom247.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33021"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}