Segun Sopitan, Chairman of the Accountability Candour and Transparency Network, has expressed apprehensions regarding the transparency of the electoral process as residents get ready to vote in the Ondo State off-cycle gubernatorial election scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, 16 November.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Friday, Sopitan questioned why a senior military official is involved in discussions about election security, labelling it an anomaly. “Why are our elections so militarised?” he asked, suggesting that the significant presence of the military indicates a major issue with electoral transparency in Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, it’s beginning to look as if our elections are getting worse and worse. From the general elections to the subsequent off-cycle elections, it’s been one terrible story after another,” Sopitan remarked.
He warned that this downward trend in the electoral process would inevitably lead to deteriorating governance, as public disengagement and apathy increase.
“You can never get good governance without the engagement of the people, and people are disengaged from this process. Apathy is a real problem,” he stated.
Furthermore, in discussions on a possible one-party state emergence, he noted that certain civil society sections are providing support to prevent the emergence of a one-party state. “Sliding into a one-party state is not something that I think I am afraid of. I think it’s not going to happen. However, you don’t need to be a one-party state, necessarily, to have some sort of autocratic rule,” he cautioned.
Addressing the judiciary, Sopitan highlighted the growing scepticism about the court’s ability to provide redress.
He cautioned that when civil society groups and other political entities start to doubt the purpose of pursuing legal action, “we’re really treading on dangerous grounds.”
Also, he urged the judiciary to “look very carefully at itself and find its way back,” emphasising the critical role of the courts in maintaining democracy. “Once people lose confidence in the ability to get redress in court, you are no longer running a democracy.”
The election in Ondo State sees 18 of the existing 19 registered political parties fielding candidates. However, the race is widely perceived as a contest between incumbent Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the APC and Dr Agboola Ajayi of the PDP. The winner will take office when the new governorship tenure begins on February 24 next year.
Frances Ibiefo
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