Professor of Political Science at the Lagos State University (LASU), Sylvester Akhaine, in this interview with MUYIWA ADEYEMI, spoke on high expectations on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the conducts of the forthcoming Edo and Ondo governorship elections, and ideals of democracy in the flawed Nigerian State, among sundry issues.
Concerning the just concluded primaries in Edo and Ondo states, how will you describe the process of electing party candidates in Nigeria compared to how it is done in other democratic climes?
The essence of any electoral process is consent. For consent to be achieved, there must be fairness. The recent primaries of APC were anything but free and fair. The exercises underscore a major deficit of the democratic process, that is the absence of internal democracy. The INEC process in retrospect appears to be more open than primaries that are conducted by parties.
