"Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war" - Maria Montessori

Wife of Nigeria's newest senator and chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Farida Waziri visited the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega in the latter's office on Monday to have a heart-to-heart discussion on how not to make or use money to woo voters and win elections.

The EFCC boss clearly gave Jega, a professor of Political Science, some lectures on how to deal with people who would come to 'share' part of the money just voted for him to compile voters register and conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2011. Monies made through stolen wealth and monies made through dubious means like drug-trafficking, round-tripping and those looted from the commonwealth, she admonished, must not be allowed to be laundered in the name of jostling for public offices.

I adore the grandiloquence of her sophistry. It should be expected that at a time like this, people saddled with her kind of delicate but serious assignment should be firm. But I expect her to know that the onus is more on her commission and other allied agencies like the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), the State Security Service, and the police to tame 419ers and powerful public officers who would stop at nothing to compromise 'angels' in sensitive positions.

That's why she has to be as alert as Jega. I empathise with Waziri on her renewed quest to apply herself more scrupulously to her job descriptions. What I find curious, however, is how these agencies would evaluate the implications and moral values of the services of policemen stationed at the campaign offices, accompany non-performing incumbents to campaign rallies, venues of primaries and to voting centres on election days and the costs of siren-blowing vehicles and their maintenance on the electoral fortunes of candidates?

INEC itself should work out credible modalities for screening those who are seeking or likely to procure funds from unwholesome sources to 'buy' their way into office. That accounts for why PDP is no longer fashionable for Ondo people. It's now Labour Party. Since Isa Yuguda, Mahmoud Shinkafi and Ikedi Ohakim jumped ship to PDP, Bauchi, Zamfara and Imo politicians decamped en mass. PDP, for them is Eldorado.

A marathon race starts with a first step. So education, action and liberalisation of the political space are more chivalrous than grandstanding. I recalled the long list that her predecessor, Malam Nuhu Ribadu took to the National Assembly in 2007 and classified as rogues. Indictments took place outside the courtroom. But how many have we prosecuted successfully? Of all the so-called indicted 34 governors Ribadu said he investigated, Waziri secures a slap-on-the-wrist conviction against Lucky Igbinedion.

Some of those pronounced 'guilty' by the impulsive ex-cop are already fellowshipping with him in the same party, while some have been holding nocturnal meetings and are known to be in the same party as the EFCC boss' spouse. Ask Senator Nuhu Aliyu. Two major areas where political parties should provide litmus tests of democratic ethos are the conduct of party primaries and in the area of party financing. How can someone wriggling in controversies be trusted to curtail incumbents and moneybags who 'brought' them in?

President Goodluck Jonathan will flout that if he declares after Ramadan, since his party primaries starts less than 21 days after. According to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a political party's constitution is supreme and its provisions govern the conduct and affairs of all its members and organs. This supremacy of a political party's constitution has remained a potent tool used by party stalwarts for political manipulations to cover up irregularities in the conduct of intra-party affairs.

Two legal issues have often arisen in the conduct of party primaries, whether a primary is purely an internal affair of a political party and how the nomination of an electoral candidate may be done by a political party. In 2007, PDP preferred to lose Imo rather than stick with its candidate, Ifeanyi Ararume. Rotimi Amaechi was substituted in Rivers with his campaign poster carrier and cousin, Celestine Omehia, before court restored him 'miraculously'. He wasn't even a candidate at the polls proper. It is, therefore, imperative that a correct political orientation, which will be anchored on principle, majority interest and the promotion of the will of the people, is developed.

What one is saying in essence is that in many cases, candidates' aspirations are scuttled simply because they are stopped; not by popular will within the party, but by a decision of a few highly-placed party stalwarts. Booby-traps in nomination processes, invariably, lead to the emergence of wealthy, nepotistic, and unpopular candidates over the more popular and less affluent ones.

The sole option available to the party and the unpopular candidate is rigging, often accompanied by intense violence on or before election days. While indeed, the political parties' constitutions are supreme, scientific observation of party primaries would help check the culture of banditry, impunity and the excesses of party stalwarts in the conduct of party affairs, particularly the nomination processes.

That, I think, should engage us rather than the ribaldry of grandstanding. Jega should be more concerned about how candidates emerge. Sabotage takes place not only on election days, but days before.