Politicians try to infiltrate INEC for votes ―Oyeyemi

FORMER national electoral commissioner, Chief Yinusa Oyeyemi, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will only achieve success in the conduct of 2019 general elections if politicians do not infiltrate ranks of the electoral body for votes.

Chief Oyeyemi, who served in the conduct of the June 12, 1993, general elections, allayed fears in some quarters over the conduct of 2019 general elections, saying that the electoral body is capable of conducting free and fair elections in 2019 with adequate provision of logistics.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Monday after he delivered the first personality lecture organized by the University of Ilorin for its new registrar, Dr (Mrs.) Folaranmi Olowoleni, titled: ‘To whom much is given”, Chief Oyeyemi, who is the Aboaba of Offa, Offa local government of Kwara state said that “the presidential elections of June 12, 1993, were adjudged by all, including national and international observers as the freest, most credible and fairest elections in the annals of democratic process in Nigeria to date.

“I am proud to declare that the electoral commission on which I served conducted a number of successful elections in Nigeria including the father of all elections-June 12, 1993.”

“In our time every electoral office in the local government was self-sufficient in terms of logistics. I am not sure it is like that today. I will say that INEC is doing very well.

“We are ready to conduct the free and fair election in 2019. The atmosphere at which we conducted elections in 1993 is quite different from what we have today. The population has increased, the government at the time provided everything that we needed to conduct the most peaceful, free and fairest election. The problem with our electoral process is that politicians always break through our ranks. He who pays the piper dictates the tune.

“The moment you allow the outsiders to infiltrate your ranks by allowing unsolicited help from politicians, they would want to have something in return for their unsolicited help. As an election management body, when you do not have control over the people who employ to help your election, then it is a problem.

“Because the people whose help you receive infiltrate yours with people of their own who have a mission to accomplish. And their mission could be dangerous to the object could be different from that of the electoral body.

“It is the politicians who need to do the needful. They are not doing the right thing. It is the politicians do employ thugs to even harass INEC officers. Politicians should allow level playing ground. It is the duty of the politicians to educate the electorate about voting. They don’t need to us thugs in the conduct of any election.”

The 86 years old retiree advised the new registrar to be “focused at all times and allow not yourself to be distracted by inanities.”