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The governor of Ondo state, Olusegun Mimiko, has urged the
Independent Electoral Commission to speed up the process for a new voter’s
registration, saying it is the only means to have credible elections in the
country.

While speaking as the special guest of honour at an event
organised by the Campaign for Democracy, the governor said Nigeria’s
development depends on credible elections.

“If I am to give a three point agenda for Nigeria future, I
will say number one credible election, number two, credible election and number
three, credible election. For me, I don’t believe there is a short cut to it;
this Nigeria must rise and shine again.”

Mr Mimiko urged that stakeholders must ensure that there is
healthy internal democracy within all political parties, stating that, “issues
where people that are not even members of a political party emerges as the
aspirants should end. That has always been the beginning of the panic at every
election year.”

Getting it right

also giving a possibility of getting the conduct of election
right in the country again, the convener of the Save Nigeria Group and keynote
Speaker at the event, Tunde Bakare told the audience that the only means for
Nigerians to take charge of the country’s destiny is to understand the power of
their vote and be part of the coming voters’ registration to get one.

“If it is like a supreme sacrifice, and we must pay it. Until
we know the right thing and do it rightly, we cannot get it right. Until what
was wrong was put right and every Nigerian stand and be counted to have a fair,
free and credible election.” He said.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos state, Adekunle
Ogunmola who got to know about the event while on a visit to the office of the
commissioner of Police Lagos state command, Marvel Akpoyibo, also had
accompanied Mr. Akpoyibo and urged the organisers to always ensure that he is
approached and invited for such event in the future.

Mr Ogunmola said Nigerians can take to Mr. Bakare’s advice on
not trusting INEC, believing that INEC is a body that comprises many
individuals, “so until we give what we promised. I only know myself, we can’t
speak for all of us.”

Speaking on a topic, “Security Environment for a free and fair
election,” Mr. Akpoyibo advised Nigerians to help the police by granting
information resource to help its work, claiming that the causes of crime has
always been every ones faults.

“Whenever there is a failure or a candidate has lost an election, of course
the police are always being held accountable, even those who lost lawfully and
those who lost unlawfully. Perhaps there is this fact, that if there has been
any failure in the past, it was a systemic failure.”