Yinka Odumakin is the National Publicity Secretary of Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere. In this exclusive interview with INIOBONG IWOK, he speaks on the government claim of anti-graft war. He believes that despite the mouthed corruption fight, the situation is even worse now than it was in the past. He suggests steps the country must take to bring credibility to the nation’s electoral system. He also spoke on other sundry issues in the polity. Excerpts:
A few days ago, the media was awash with the news about the arrest of the killers of Ayo Fasoranti’s daughter. What is the truth?
It is very true; after nine months that the murder took place, the Ondo State Police command appears not interested on investigating the murder.But we thank God that the federal SARS in Ondo State have now apprehended the killers of Fasoranti’s daughter. They had come to brief Fasoranti about what happened and how it happened last Saturday.
They did a very good job and we commend them. We were informed that those suspects have been taken into custody. But the behavior of the Ondo State police command was surprising to us; in the past nine months, they did not even tell us what they were doing on the murder, even once. But God intervened through the SARS team who did a wonderful job by unravelling the killers of that woman.
Are you really convinced that the suspects arrested are the people who actually committed the crime?
Yes;they are the people. The suspects have made statements to the Police; I don’t want to divulge more on this. I don’t want to be prejudice or take over the Police responsibility, but I just want to inform our supporters, our friends and sympathizes that the killers have been apprehended.
The South and Middle-belt Forum last week criticised President Muhammadu Buhari for declaring a lockdown in the three states. Some section of Nigerians disagreed with the group’s position; how do you react?
That was probably by those who cannot read well, those who are challenged, because what we said was that we would support any due process by the government to curtail this pandemic. What we said was that the President had no powers to lockdown the three states; that it must be inconjunction with the governors of those states. Even in the US, President Trump could not lockdown New York; that is the same case here in Nigeria; the President cannot unilaterally act the way he acted; that remains our position.They should have consulted with the state governors. You just woke up and closed down Lagos within 24 hours. But, this is the same country where people are being killed daily; why is it that he cannot declare a state of emergency in those places.
But some Nigerians argue that Buhari has such powers under an emergency situation?
Which emergency power? where is it written in the constitution that the President can just shutdown the state in 24 hours? This is the poorest country on earth; why did he not declare such in Bauchi State? It is not just to issue decree, he should act within the law; this is democracy.
How do you react to complaints by Nigerians that the government should have provided palliatives?
Let those that give him emergency powers, or say he has such tell him to provide palliatives to Nigerians, that is my position on the issue.
Ahead 2023 general election, INEC has deregistered some political parties; what is your take?
Well, the political parties were deregistered according to the law. Yes, in democracy you have a right to establish political parties but we also have laws that regulate them here.The parties have been there and they know the conditions to meet before you can become a party and stay on the ballot forever if they want to. But, I think what we need as a must is to have credible free and fair elections to be able to determine the real strength of the parties, then we can determine those that are qualified to be on the ballot.Those who cannot meet up can try and struggle to be in the ballot in another time. So, let them give us a credible election and then you can freely say this party is not credible and you can separate the serious ones from the pretenders.With the system we have now, if they don’t want you to be on the ballot you would not be there, because the present set up of INEC is like that.
What other suggestions would Afenifere present as part of the electoral reforms?
The main issue to us is how do you hold election without any credible voter register? That is very crucial to a free and fair election in the country.You cannot continue to operate like this, we must have a credible voter register; that is not tampered with, and not full with fictitious names, like what we have been seeing in the last few years. It is very important if we are to check rigging in our electoral system.Secondly, we are also advocating that security should be in the hands of INEC instead. If you notice, the way election is done now, from the accreditation process to the point of voting in the polling unit, the parties’ agents seem to have their figures already but the real rigging starts during the collation centres where they change all the figures and that is because the Police who are supposed to guide the process are in the hand of the party in power.So, we would advocate for the India process, where all the securitypersonnel involved in elections are under the electoral body. They are the ones that pay them salaries during election period. They are the ones that would compile the names of people that violate the electoral laws and prosecute them.
But here in Nigeria, the Inspector General of Police deploys officers across Nigeria and it affects the process like we have seen over the years. All electoral personnel who take part in the election process should be under the electoral body. If you think we need a commission to punish electoral offenders, that is a joke. INEC has no power to punish electoral offenders, the police are to prosecute; that is what the law says.If you set up a commission, it is the police that is arresting and supposed to prosecute, but the police are under the executive; if there is no will nothing would be done.
Do you expect INEC to review the time table for the gubernatorial elections in Edo and Ondo States after the Coronavirus crisis?
Coronavirus crisis must have sabotaged the preparation made towards both gubernatorial elections. INEC would have to review the whole timetable.I don’t know if they have the powers, but if not the National Assembly should give INEC the power to act during emergency cases like this.
What is your take on the clamour by President Buhari for a special court for corruption cases?
Well, it is neither here nor there. I believe if we are doing a sincere anti-graft war, where we have a professional system, the Police should be able to arrest and prosecute people in the country. But because we are running an abnormal society where there is so much hypocrisy we find that there is nothing on ground. The corruption that is going on today is more than what we have seen in the past. With all these agencies fighting corruption; there must be the will to fight corruption by the Nigerian government, rather than being used as propaganda and campaign tool. We must be seen to be proactive; remember the APC chairman saying that anyone who joins APC their sins are forgiven. Whatever the party in government, either, PDP or APC, the government should set good example for others to follow.
