PeakNews Online
A Constitutional Lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, on Wednesday,, called for an aggressive fight against political corruption perpetrated by the nation’s elites.
Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), disclosed this in a paper he presented at the Midwest Achievers Awards in Benin, titled ” Has democracy led to good governance in Nigeria”?
The human rights activist said that
political corruption undermined the nation’s democratic principles.
“The ugly trend should be aggressively addressed with the same seriousness and penalty as in financial crimes and other forms of corruption.
“Political corruption is often overlooked because it involves the elites, who have political power,” he said
He noted that such form of corruption manifested mostly in elections into various political positions in the country.
“Nigeria’s election history for instance, is rife with stories of manipulation and voter exploitation by the political class.
“Post-election adjudication should not only focus on determining winners of elections.
“Political elites and their agents, who violate electoral rules should be sanctioned with fines and imprisonment,” he said.
Ozekhome noted that free and fair elections were the foundation of democratic legitimacy, transparency, and accountability.
“We should consistently safeguard these tenets to ensure leaders are held accountable to the people,” he noted.
The activist advocated for a harmonised fight against corruption, which should be sustained through oversight from anti–corruption agencies.
“There should be institutionalisation of development focussed principles to forster change in Nigeria and Africa,” he said.
The Director of Midwest Achievers Awards, Dr Owen Omo-Ojo, said the event was to recognise achievers, who have made their marks in the society.
“We aim at spotlighting achievers, who have dared to dream, navigated turbulent times and upheld the highest ethical standards.
“The men and women under spotlight, inspired hope in their communities and beyond.” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Ozekhome was honoured as the “Defender of Democracy” at the event.(NAN)
