INEC’s ex-chief laments dearth of integrity in governance

A FORMER member of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) who represented Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states, Senator Olorunnimbe Farunkanmi, has said that politicians and public officeholders have thrown integrity to the dustbin.

He, however, absolved the electoral body of any blame in the malpractice, which had characterised polls in the country.

Rather, Farunkanmi, now a leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), canvassed for attitudinal change on the part of politicians, whom he said, “are responsible for the myriads of problems facing the country’s electoral system because of their penchant to cut corners around the law to thwart the process”.

The Second Republic senator stated this during the declaration of his intention to contest the 2013 governorship election in Ondo State yesterday in Akure.

He said no electoral umpire could succeed when dealing with a mass of lawless politicians, who are ready to sacrifice anything to realise their personal ambitions.

According to him, “attitudinal change on the part of politicians is the only panacea to election rigging in this country. They must be re-orientated to know that occupation of political office is for public service and that democracy is about the decision of the majority of the people and not a few powerful but corrupt individuals”.

Farukanmi, a septuagenarian and foundation member of the Ondo House of Assembly in 1979, blamed the new generation politicians for the socio-economic woes plaguing the nation, saying “the times have indeed changed and integrity no longer counts at it was in the early days”.

He called for the re-enactment of the Second Republic political scenario in the South-West geo-political zone when all the states were under the umbrella of a single political party to achieve the successes recorded during the late sage, Obafemi Awolowo’s, era.

He said: “We must work together to relive the progressive years of Awolowo administration, so also the years of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN). As the ACN is trying to relive this, the impending governorship election is an opportunity for Ondo State people to join their kinsmen in the ACN”.

In the speech, which he read to his supporters, Farukanmi said: “The existence of a man is dependent on the availability of adequate air, food and shelter in that order and it is my intention to be guided by the availability of these essential commodities”.

He also stated his intention to focus on education, agriculture and employment to bring the state to the next level of development “away from the current state of under-development under which thousands of our youths are roaming the state and thousands more have fled abroad doing menial jobs”.

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By Niyi Bello, Akure