By Shehu Nasir Danbatta

Despite the widespread rejection of the attempt to amend the Electoral Act 2010 by the National Assembly, the federal lawmakers seem pig-headed in their determination to pooh-pooh public opinion, which was stoutly expressed during the public hearing on the issue. If truly they are the people’s representatives or indeed, if they were genuinely elected into offices, these legislative tyrants would have heeded public sentiments. As Oliver Goldsmith noted, two persons can go against public opinion: a man of absolute integrity or a mad man”.

In April of this year Gordon Brown, then the British Prime Minister made a terrible mistake. He was caught on microphone describing a pensioner he had just spoken to as a “bigoted woman”.