By Bero Damilola
ABEOKUTA — Legal luminary and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana (SAN), has called for stronger measures against electoral offenders, saying Nigeria must restore electoral integrity to achieve good governance and produce credible leadership.
Falana made the call while delivering the anniversary lecture at the 8th Annual Anniversary Lecture of Penpushing Media held at the Marquee Events Centre, Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, on Thursday.
The lecture was themed “Restoring Electoral Integrity: The Path to Good Governance and Public Accountability.”
Falana stressed the need for Nigeria to strengthen its electoral system and ensure that elections were conducted in accordance with the law.
He also called for appropriate sanctions against individuals involved in electoral offences, including vote-buying.
He emphasized that electoral integrity could not be achieved if individuals were allowed to violate electoral laws without consequences.
The legal luminary also called for greater independence in the electoral and judicial processes, stressing the need for political parties to resolve their internal disputes without unnecessarily turning every disagreement into a court case.
According to him, the purpose of governance must include the security and welfare of the people.
Falana also highlighted the need for government to address poverty and improve the living conditions of Nigerians, noting that good governance must translate into better conditions of living for citizens.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Occasion, former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr. Tunde Lemo, said restoring electoral integrity was essential to Nigeria’s development.
Lemo stated that Nigeria had enormous potential but could only achieve meaningful economic growth by improving the process through which its leaders were elected.
He said credible elections were necessary for the emergence of good leadership and effective governance.
The Father of the Day, retired Justice of the Court of Appeal, Justice Oladeinde Shoremi, also urged politicians to respect the independence of the judiciary and refrain from offering judges bribes.
He said judges should be allowed to perform their duties without political interference.
The Mother of the Day, Dr. Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu, represented at the event by Alhaji Shina Oladehinde, stated that good governance did not begin after an election but began with the electoral process and its outcome.
She expressed hope that the deliberations would lead to renewed efforts to build a democratic system that would be worthy of the trust and aspirations of Nigerians.
The event also featured a panel discussion involving Prof. Babatunde Ekanola, Com. Sulaimon Arigbabu, Wemimo Adewunmi and Stella Sawyerr, moderated by Rt. Hon. Remmy Hazzan.
Awards were presented to several distinguished Nigerians, including Prince Dapo Abiodun, CON; Senator Ibikunle Amosun, CON, FCA; Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola; Apostle Lawrence Achudume; and Deacon Owolabi Oladejo.
The lecture was organized as part of activities marking Penpushing Media’s 8th anniversary.
