The President/CEO of MFP Global Services, leader of MFP Group and a board member of Oyo State Anti-Corruption Agency, Dr Prince Oyebade Oyedepo asserts that electoral system requires inclusive participation to thrive in Nigeria. According to him, everyone has a role to play towards effective electoral system otherwise the system will continue to have flaws.
This affirmation was given by Dr Oyebade Oyedepo when he featured on a live radio program at Crest FM, Ibadan on the program titled, “State Of The Nation” anchored by ace broadcasters Damilola Amoo and Janet Mark-Ayangbemi.
In his words, people tend to shift the blame of any election on the INEC body forgetting that there are other institutions responsible for the performance of different functions which makes up electoral system apart from INEC. The police and other security agencies are in charge of security. The anti-graft agencies are expected to prevent or discover vote buying. The political parties are in charge of education and enlightenment of voters. INEC is only responsible to conduct election.
However, the moment there are security breaches, voters’ aparthy, vote buying or any other factor which mars the conduct of the election, we heap the whole blame on INEC. This is not fair on the part of INEC because they should not be held responsible for the inefficiency of others.
He counselled INEC to embark on sensitization to keep people and various institutions abreast of their responsibilities going forward. He expressed satisfaction on the new appointment of Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN as the INEC Chairman by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. According to the MFP top brass, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan is eminently qualified based on his pedigree in law profession, his brilliance and exemplary character attested to by those sufficiently close to him.
He advised the INEC Chairman and his team to work assiduously in updating the voters’ register to make it reliable. The commission should expose the current voters’ register to the public for critique to remove the names proven not authentic. The updating of the voters’ register should be continuous not restricted to the time election is approaching.
He emphasized that the INEC body should confirm the efficacy or otherwise of the commission’s server, card readers and gadgets to determine whether to replace them or not. The communication network should be firmed out to network providers for better results. Alternative arrangements should be made in case of network failure. This should be communicated to the people in time to prevent unnecessary insinuations during election.
Dr Oyebade advised the INEC Chairman to address all the shortcomings of previous elections without exception to start with. He should prepare the budget and start early to draw from it to fix some of the pitfalls in good time. He should emphasize the building capacity of staff for maximum efficiency. The Commission should integrate professional accountants in the electoral process particularly in appointing them as returning officers. In his words, the professional accountants are vast in figures and use of excel and other electronic devices which can be deployed to collate results at a speed more than others hitherto deployed to the exercise.
Dr Oyebade believed that the appointment of Professor Joash Amupitan by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in consonant with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to him, no law is perfect anywhere in the world. He was quick to debunk claim that the appointment is political. In his words, if the role of appointing INEC Chairman is vested in other organs apart from the President, people will still insinuate bias. He advised people to have trust in the system rather than criticizing all the times.
The MFP topnotch shed light on how Presidential pardon is granted per time. According to him, the parole board under correctional center is vested with the powers to recommend after considering the input of the correctional centers. They recommend after examining the suitability of the convicts not on sentiments.
In the words of Dr Oyebade, “the parole board is made up of jurists who knows the implications of releasing unsuitable criminals to the society hence they will not do anything detrimental to the people at large. The granting of clemency is advantageous to the convicts and the Nation at large. The convicts will reunite with their families, the prisons will be decongested, the nation will not be responsible for their welfare again and the convicts will also contribute to the development of the nation after regaining freedom. The fact that the convicts had committed crimes before does not mean they cannot turn a new leaf and be useful to the Nation at another time”
The finance expert advised lawyers not to berate the judiciary when a matter is in Court. He made this assertion in response to the statement credited to some lawyers condemning the continuous detention of Nnamdi Kanu when the matter is still before a court of law.
He advised the government to allow peaceful protest to take place even if politically motivated. According to him, protests are legal and avenues to vent anger. They are organized to draw the attention of government to issues of concern hence it should be embraced not discouraged or prevented.
Dr Oyebade debunked the claim by the United States of America about Christian Genocide allegations. He cautioned them not to promote disunity in Nigeria. The allegation has been debunked by the Christians Association of Nigeria which is the umbrella body of Christians in Nigeria which is the truth.
In his opinion, the United States of America should assist Nigeria economically instead of promoting discord which is anti-growth and development. He encouraged people to embrace peace and harmony in the land.
