This piece will commence with an admonition for the electorate and the larger society to behave responsibly in public and national interest The responsibility of the government to hold itself accountable to the public and their rights to know how they are governed in a democracy, have combined, to make transparency and accountability the key watchwords of the government and the governed, all over the world. Therefore, ask questions from people asking for your votes Your vote is your power; the masses are the employers of their representatives in government. Do not be subservient to any political office seeker Selling your votes amounts to selling your rights and conscience Accepting bribes in order to vote amounts to injuring the future of your offspring and generations yet unborn You could make the desired impact by voting for your prefered candidates It is against the accepted norms universally to engage in hooliganism in order to win elections Once you are above 18 years old, you are no longer regarded as a minor and you are answerable for your crimes including electoral offences Do not accept to be a political thug. Tell anyone offering you employment as a thug to himself/herself lead a team of thugs and be at the forefront Our society will not progress until we do things the normal and proper way in accordance with best global practices The polity could do with much lesser tension and retrogression, if rules and regulations are strictly followed. Report all suspected acts of illegalities to INEC and law enforcement agencies Without adopting the right political culture, it could take us a long time to get to the Promised Land AN ANALOGY: I remember very vividly the quote: ‘’Let them use power; we shall use courage’’ as expressed by an outstanding and celebrated media chieftain, motivator and mentor to thousands of successful media practitioners, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, 38 years ago. He had been removed from his prestigious position of the head of the then NTA, Ibadan to a station of lesser status in Akure, in what seemed like an orchestrated decision to punish hm for being too professional. Dr. Farounbi was a boss who stood solidly behind professionals who served under him in the broadcast media that he headed, and defended his subordinates before ‘’big politicians’’ However, the defence was never automatic. You had to prove beyond every reasonable doubt that you acted professionally….
