Well, I think that INEC is coming out with fresh guidelines, or they’re going to be released on Monday, according to reports, and I do hope we’re going to be able to get Festus Okoye who, apart from being a veteran of the civil rights pro-democracy anti-dictatorship struggle, is also an expert on election matters, and that presumably is why he’s now a Commissioner of INEC and he’s actually the Commissioner in charge of Voter Education and Publicity.

Let me tell you briefly about Hassan Taiwo Soweto, who is a socialist and long-standing working class and youth activist. Graduate of Fine and Applied Arts from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He’s also a member of the Democratic Socialist Movement, National Coordinator of the Education Rights Campaign. Through this group he’s played major roles in the struggle for better funding and democratic management of public education in Lagos, Ogun State and across the country. He says if he’s elected he intends to bring all his experience as an activist to fight for development in his constituency and defend the interest of the working class youths and masses. Welcome to Countdown 2019.

Dr. Tokunbo Pearse. He is a senior lecturer, Department of English, University of Lagos. He’s also a public affairs analyst. He lived and worked in the United States from 1986 to 2006, and was actively involved in politics, working on the campaign teams of a number of congressmen and also of former Governor of New York, George Pataki. He was Associate Professor, Department of African Studies, Brooklyn College. In Nigeria he worked as the campaign manager of Mrs. Funso Williams in the 2007 Lagos Governorship poll. He was also the Director-General of the Musiliu Obanikoro campaign for the governorship of Lagos State.

We have a guest, a special guest on the programme this afternoon, and as usual, my job is to drag out the IDEAS content in his, in what he’s going to tell us.  Our guest is Mr. Tope Kolade Fashua. He is the Presidential candidate of the Abundant Nigeria Renewal Party. And, you’re welcome to the show.

Today on IDEAS segment with Ayo Obe, we will be looking at ethics, integrity, and accountability. Let me just read you a profile briefly, of today’s guest. Banky W …

Bankole Wellington: Yes sir!

AgO: … born Olubankole, Oluwabankole Wellington. … in films as Banky Wellington Nigerian singer, rapper and actor, now politician also too.

Bankole Wellington: Apparently so.

AgO: He was born on the 27th of March 1981 in the United States, but then moved back to Nigeria when he was five years old. Singing career started way back at the age of eight at church choir. He’s declared his intention to run for a seat in Nigeria’s House of Representatives, representing Lagos Eti-Osa Federal Constituency. He announced that he would run with the Modern Democratic Party which was formed last year.

Today on IDEAS segment with Ayo Obe, we’re looking at campaigns.  Campaigns are open and running just a couple of days into the campaign, and by extension into of course, the bigger show itself where we’ll also look at many of the issues associated with the campaign.

Today on IDEAS segment with Ayo Obe, we’ll be discussing campaign finance.  What is a free gift? And what is a financial contribution? For instance, a private jet for campaign, a gift?  To help us answer these questions will be Eze Onyekpere, who’s a lawyer and Executive Director of Centre for Social Justice.

So, big talking point, you know the campaign is supposed to open up on the 18th of November.  That’s exactly a week from now, but we’ve had some guys already beat the gun.  We’ve seen press statements from the Ministry of Information, already they are saying, saying a number of things, so there are all sorts of questions whether this is ethical or not to have incumbent and administrations talk about what they have achieved already in office before the campaign opened up, so big talking point that will be on IDEAS segment and on Countdown 2019.

Today, we’re going to be discussing, as [Aghogho] said, the latest incarnation of the Electoral Act, and you know that this Act has gone through many different incarnations, and something new always seems to be coming out.  But because the Policy Legislation Advocacy Centre has done, has looked at the Act for us, or the proposed Act, the Bill, for us, we have invited its Executive Director, Clement Nwankwo, who’s also the convener of the Situation Room, to help us understand whether or not this legislation is going to enhance the integrity of the electoral process.  There are so many different aspects to it, I’m not sure we can get through it all in the 15 minutes we have but, I would like to say