The 2022 general election has come and gone. Stock can be taken on a lot of issues regarding the process, the outcome and the presidential petition in the apex court but the one thing that sticks out is that we lost out on the integrity front.

Chapter Six of the Constitution prescribes leadership, ethics and integrity standards for persons entrusted with public office. It is a unique innovation targeted at shielding public trust from abuse. It was enacted in the hope that it could reverse the culture of corruption and impunity, clean up our politics and ensure only those who meet the integrity threshold occupy public office.

Because of the complexities in litigation that stretches the legal processes of removing individuals whose conduct has offended ethics and integrity principles from public office, it was hoped that the electorate would vet and reject candidates of questionable integrity at the ballot. Indeed, independent commissions and offices mandated with the responsibility to enforce Chapter Six requirements in State and Public Offices including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) carried out a concerted media campaign prior to elections enlisting the public in this noble undertaking. It was never heeded.