— Charges Press On Responsiveness.
A RENOWNED Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Barr. Ngozi Olehi says that the prohibitive costs of running elections and governance are the precursors to unprecedented corruption that characterize Nigeria presently and constitute formidable obstacles to accelerated economic development.
Recall that the said Senior Advocate had few weeks ago,harped on the need to stop corruption in leadership, a step he said would Foster progress and development in Nigeria.
Addressing journalists in Owerri, Imo State, Barr. Olehi SAN said that it must be recognized that fortifying democracy is vital to sustainable development, but what is not as widely acknowledged from Nigeria’s chequered experience in failed democracy is that improving the integrity of elections is key to democratic development.
He said that vote buying and all forms of electoral fraud destroy electoral integrity, degrade democracy, and enthrone mediocrity all of which chart the course to jungle governance that demean human values and halt sustainable development.
According to him, “the political trauma and debilitating leadership crises Nigeria has been facing are basically outcomes of corrupted electoral journey not because of any inadequacy in the electoral laws by corrupted electoral staff and fragile electoral institution.”
The legal luminary contended that those who do not vote during elections because of their apparent loss of confidence in the feeble leadership that dot the political space are as guilty as those who vote only when induced with monetary rewards pointing out that deeply embedded unwholesome practices, such as use of money, violence, incumbency powers, and a range of electoral malpractices and fraudulent activities in the electoral process grossly undermine its utility as a vehicle for liberal democratic development.
Barr. Olehi SAN further said that absence of electoral integrity leads to political and economic instability which unfortunately create an uncertain environment for business operations, cripple innovations and make it difficult for companies to plan for long-term investments adding that the devastating consequences in the beleaguered Nigeria affect both the innocent and the guilty.
The Senior Advocate stated that the mere regularity in the conduct of elections does not, in itself, bring about desirable and sustainable democratic development when an election is devoid of integrity and credibility and described such regularity as a mere ritual which does not yield substantive results or enduring benefits to the majority of the citizens.
Barr. Olehi SAN lamented that that the last traces of democracy that are managing to endure in Nigeria will not survive the desperations and the recklessness of the political class towards 2027 and advised well-meaning Nigerians to mobilize against the tenacious erosion of democratic values if Nigeria is reduce poverty, socio-economic impediments, underdevelopment and have a voice in the international community that has become tired of the country’s abhorrent political culture.
He called on the press to show increased commitment to civic education and political awareness.
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