The Resident Electoral Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Kwara State, Malam Garba Attahiru-Madami, has expressed his commitment to conduct the best election ever in the state in 2023, saying: “Nobody can buy my Integrity.”
He stated this on Monday against the backdrop of an allegation made against him by the state’s Peoples Democratic Party.
Attahiru-Madami, who spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, was reacting to the allegation by the spokesman of the PDP in the state, Prince Tunji Morounfoye, against him.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Morounfoye had in a press statement alleged that the REC had been compromised and was in a clandestine meeting with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
The REC described the accusation of Morounfoye as “unfounded and baseless”, adding that nobody could buy his conscience and integrity.
Attahiru-Madami said: “I am a man of integrity, which I have guarded for over 40 years.
“No one can buy my conscience and integrity.
“I said so before the 2019 general elections and I repeat: nobody can buy my integrity.”
He stressed that there was no time that he had any clandestine meeting with the governor and challenged Morounfoye to provide evidence of such a meeting.
“My integrity, sincerity, openness and transparency have been demonstrated in three elections, which I conducted in Kwara; my integrity has been put to test in the three elections,” he added.
Attahiru-Madami listed the three elections as bye-election in Ekiti, Isin, Oke Ero and Irepodun House of Reps election in November 2018, 2019 general election and Patigi House of Assembly election in 2020.
Attahiru-Madami said that the 2019 elections in Kwara State were adjudged the best in the country as it was free, fair, credible and transparent, adding that it was accepted by the people as well as foreign and domestic observers.
He added that the accusation that he said in an INEC management meeting that he hated ex-Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was totally false and a lie aimed at defaming him.
He said: “I need proof in any of the management meetings where I said such words and who told them.
“I said so to provide evidence.
“Why should I hate Saraki or anyone else?.
“There are minutes of each management meeting and there is nowhere Saraki or anybody else’s name was mentioned.
“In the light of the above, I am giving Kwara PDP 48 hours to issue a public apology in print and electronic media.
“After expiration, I will take a legal action for defamation of character and assassination of my integrity built over 40 years and has been part of my life proven here in Kwara since my assumption of office on July 25, 2018.
“I want to assure Kwarans that I will conduct a free, fair, credible, transparent and peaceful election come 2023.
“I am for everyone in Kwara and not for any individual.
“If I could put my integrity to test in 2019 and came out to conduct the best election in Nigeria, I believe with the use of technology, my election performance will be better in 2023.”
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