John Shiklam in Kaduna
The Executive Director of YIAGA Africa, Samson Itodo, has said that Nigeria needs character reform to ensure credible elections.
Speaking in Kaduna at a conference on “Electoral accountability and democratic stability,” Itodo said the political class believes that elections cannot be won without disrupting the process and bribing the judiciary.
Itodo alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been captured by politicians for their political ambition and called on Nigerians to do everything constitutionally possible to reclaim the commission.
He said: “What we are grappling with, is institutional capture. INEC has been captured, we have said this several times.
“There is a reason why politicians are appointing individuals into INEC. Do you think it is accidental? No, it is for a particular reason”, he said.
According to him, “The most important reform that Nigeria needs is character reform.
“We have a political class that believes that you do not win elections without an election plan.
“So, if you want to win election in Nigeria, you must do three things – you will have a group of thugs who will be ready to disrupt elections or intimidate your opponents; you must have the financial resources to bribe election officials and you will also have money to buy judges.
“You just need to seat with present day politicians and ask them to tell you their stories.
“They tell you how the courts have become a market place for negotiating…”
Itodo recalled that several years ago, the only institution people look up to was the judiciary.
“That’s why they say the judiciary is the last hope of the common man… but today, no one trusts the judiciary. People are asking, ‘where will help come from?’
“I am not generalising, there are still judges with impeccable character and integrity, we are not just celebrating them enough”, he said.
He said no country develops when its institutions are weak and called on Nigerians not to relent on speaking out on issues retarding the progress of the country
He added that, “Even when politicians don’t want us to speak, we must continually speak out whether they like it or not.
“They must change their attitude, this is not the kind of democracy that we want and we have a duty as citizens to speak out.
“What we are grappling with, is institutional capture. INEC has been captured, we have said this several time.
“There is a reason why politicians are appointing certain individuals into INEC. Do you think it is accidental? No, it is for a particular reason.
They want all the institutions captured so that they can advance their own interest above the collective interest of our people…
“What is democracy without asking questions? What is democracy without putting the fire on the feet of those who are elected to serve? The people elected to offices are our employees…
“As citizens we need to amplify our voices and hold our leaders to account.”
Itodo added: “Democracy remains an option, continuous to remain an option. We need a democracy that gives us leaders that loves their country and listen to their people.
“A democracy where the state does not consider those with dissent opinion as lack of patriotism or opposition; a democracy where institutions can be held to account.”
