There is need for constant review of the legal framework for the nation’s electoral process, to eliminate corruption.

According to Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, existing laws were not helping matters and needed to be reviewed constantly in the quest to enhance accountability and fight corruption in the electoral process.

Owasanoye spoke at a public discussion on Anti-Corruption and Accountability in the Electoral Process in Nigeria, organised by the Centre for Values in Leadership, CVL, Lagos.

He said for instance, the law recognises that security agencies can be involved in election, especially in the movement and distribution of electoral materials, saying the regrettable thing was that the electoral umpire cannot control the activities of the security agencies during elections.

Owasanoye said challenging the conduct of any election in the country could also be frustrating, which was part of the reasons electoral malpractices thrive, saying there was also a lacuna in the law on electoral offences in that the law says that INEC would prosecute electoral offenders, but in reality, INEC does not have the capacity to do so.

He said these were some of the serious challenges, and unless we practically deal with these realities, nothing would change, calling on the civil society to be a part of the conversation so that improvements envisaged in the electoral system could scale through.

“We will notice that since 1999, the law has almost been the subject of scrutiny by every Assembly because when the politicians come in, they remember what they went through and they try to change the law to improve it.

“But sometimes, not necessarily so, regrettably, and so, the public and the civil societies must be a part of that conversation so that those improvements can scale through,” Owasanoye said.

He said there was urgent need to look at the weak points within the legal framework as well as strengthen the independence of the institutions meant to fight corruption and ensure peaceful, free, fair and credible elections in the country.

In her remarks, Executive Director, CVL, Isioma Utomi, said corruption and lack of accountability in the electoral process had adversely affected national development in the country.

Utomi called for collective responsibility to achieve anti-corruption, accountability, free, fair and credible electoral process in the country.

According to her, everybody shares in the risk from abuse of office, badly managed economy, unfair wealth management and institutionalisation of poverty in the country.

“Corruption and lack of accountability subvert good governance. When corruption becomes entrenched in the society, it distorts development and breeds imperfection in administrative sectors of governance.

“The CVL will continue to advocate through programmes that will emphasise how anti-corruption and accountability translate into national development,” she said.