Elections constitute a livewire that gives real meaning to democracy on which great nations have been built but a popular known lawyer and Senior Advo
Elections constitute a livewire that gives real meaning to democracy on which great nations have been built but a popular known lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jubril Samuel Okutepa, SAN, said that Nigerian case is the reverse.
The learned Silk, also said that the conduct of elections in Nigeria is a waste of public funds as Nigeria can not have a genuine democratic polls because thugs and their corrupt sponsors have made it impossible.
J.S Okutepa, SAN, made this remark on Sunday, following the failure on the part of INEC to provide the materials including the BVAS for the elections on time.
has been several allegations since yesterday that there is an underhand move to manipulate the presidential election results across the country following the alleged refusal by officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission to upload much of the election results to the INEC server at the polling stations.
Okutepa, SAN, said It will be difficult if not impossible to eradicate corruption and corrupt ways of doing things in Nigeria.
“The ongoing [2023] selection otherwise called [2023] election is a case in point. Everyone is involved. No one can claim to be pure. Even those who have good intentions to be pure have people with impurity of heart and impunity around them.
“I have said before that while the introduction of Bimodal Verification Accreditation system BVAS is good, the human elements will undermine it. Thugs are at their best in these [2023] elections.
“Those who have duties and responsibilities to do what is right are either afraid of doing it or they have refused to do it due to commercial interest.
“INEC as a body is not independent as it ought to.
“INEC does not have sufficient staff to manage elections and mann the polling stations.
“INEC Ad hoc staff are heavily compromised Nigerians of Nigerian blood who are experts in Nigerians ways of doing things.
“There appears to be no consequences for these misbehaviours. How then can we grow and develop as a nation with this kind attitude?
“The political class just does not want the will of the people to prevail.
“Given the crooked manner these things are done and the fact that the will of the people are not respected, one wonders whether there’s actually any need for elections.
“Why don’t we avoid this waste of funds in the name of organizing elections?”
“Why don’t we adopt selection of leadership instead of perpetrating crookedness and corruption in the name of elections.”
“Now, since it has become obvious that thugs and their corrupt sponsors have made genuine democratic elections impossible in Nigeria, and governments have not been able to think out of the box, on how to effectively nip these atrocities in the bud, why not let us meet at our various villages squares and just select our representatives who will then be our leaders, to govern us.
“The public funds being wasted to organize elections in Nigeria can be channeled to more profitable ventures, including provisions of social amenities, etc.
“There is no democracy in Nigeria yet. Let’s stop pretending that there.”
