***as democracy has failed to work
Since thugs and their sponsors have made elections impossible and governments have not been able to think out of the box, let us meet at our villages and select our representatives who will govern us, a senior Advocate of Nigeria, Barrister Jibrin Samuel Okutepa has advocated.
Okutepa who is the founding Partner of J.S. Okutepa SAN & Company; a law firm based in Abuja, FCT, observed that there is no need to waste humungus resources to organize elections for a country where democracy remains a mirage.
Speaking against the backdrop that the Bimodal Verification Accreditation system (BVAS) which was highly acclaimed to be good for credible elections but failed to upload results of the Presidential election as expected on 25th, he said, corrupt human elements were at play.
According to him, it will be difficult if not impossible to eradicate corruption and corrupt ways of doing things in Nigeria. “The on going selection otherwise called election is 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 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 man elections and polling stations.
“The Adhoc staff are heavily compromised Nigerians of Nigerian blood who are experts in Nigerians ways of doing things. Their are no consequences for misbehavours. How can we grow and develop with this kind attitude.
“The political class does not want the will of the people to prevail. Given the crooked manner things are done and the fact that the will of the people are not respected what actually is the need for election. Let us avoid waste of funds to organize elections.”