Ahead of the 2023 elections, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has called on the electorate to put presidential candidates to task on their blueprints concerning corruption and security.
He said that corruption and security are the two fundamental challenges confronting the country currently.
He noted that anyone aspiring to the highest seat must have a deep understanding of how to deal with the problems and should be a person of high integrity.
Speaking with newsmen, Adebayo noted that each candidate must be properly x-rayed to ensure that they are not corrupt or subscribe to corrupt practices.
He said candidates should be made to make their assets public, while also explaining the sources of such property.
“Democracy is like when you go for a medical check and the doctor prescribes what might happen if you don’t take certain steps and tells you measures to take to preserve your life and to be in good health.
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“And, you are given February 25 next year to make a decision, either to allow fatality to happen or rescue your health and your life, that’s how I see it. It is also like a warning that there could be an invasion or a war, the wise will start to take steps. That is how I see it, it is a great opportunity, what we make of it, is how we define our own future,” he said.
The SDP presidential hopeful said there are three dimensions to corruption, including simple theft, when you steal what does not belong to you, you take public property, adding: “The theft can be big or small, it is all part of corruption.
“Second, undermining systems, even if you are a person who doesn’t take money, if you undermine institutions, you manipulate judgment from courts, you manipulate recruitments not to recruit the best, you violate, like politicians who are campaigning now, when they say campaign has not come, they are corrupt, because they are manipulating the system, they don’t try to play fair.
He noted: “The third is nepotism, nepotism is a form of corruption and nepotism goes into fixing appointments for people that they don’t merit, using government preferment and appointments for political and other gains.
“We should be careful not to invoke the wrath of God. When we say this person is corrupt and that person is not corrupt, we must be truthful about corruption, because some are pecuniary, some moral, some sexual, some others things. Anything that deviates from the right standard is corruption.”
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