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Tag: Inec

  • 2015: INEC fixes primaries for October 2014

    2015: INEC fixes primaries for October 2014

    * Campaigns to wait till November

    * INEC may allow only use of Permanent Voter’s Card

    Details of the process leading to next year’s elections emerged yesterday with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) fixing October 2-11 2014 for primaries by the parties contesting the polls.

    The commission had announced last Friday that the Presidential and National Assembly Elections would hold on February 14 to be followed on February 28 by the governorship and state assembly polls.

    INEC expects that any dispute arising from the primaries will be resolved before elections.

    According to the details made public yesterday by the Commission’s Secretary, Mrs. Augusta Ogakwu, the official register of voters will be published on January 13 2015 while list of nominated candidates for Presidential and National Assembly election will published on the same day.

    The parties are due to submit the nomination forms of their Presidential and National Assembly candidates not later than January 6, 2015 while those for the governorship and state Houses of Assembly should be received by the commission latest on January 20 2015.

    The list of nominated candidates for governorship and state Houses of Assembly will be published on January 17, 2015.

    Publication of notice of poll for all election will be displayed on January 18, 2015.

    The commission slated November 4-11 2014 for the collection of forms for all elections by the political parties.

    The deadline for the submission of Forms CF001 and CF002 at the INEC headquarters for all elections is December 18, 2014 for Presidential and National Assembly elections and December 25, 2014 for governorship and State Assembly Elections.

    The parties have up till December 30, 2014 for the withdrawal by candidates/replacement of withdrawn candidates for Presidential and National Assembly elections and January 13 for governorship and House of Assembly elections.

    Publication of personal particulars of candidates (CF001) for Presidential and National Assembly is December 25, 2014 while that of governorship and State Assembly elections will be done on January 1, 2015.

    In the same vein, the parties are required to submit the names of their agents for the Presidential/National Assembly elections to electoral officers at local government area/ area council level by January 29, 2015 and for the governorship/State Assembly elections by February 12, 2015.

    Campaigns in respect of the Presidential/National Assembly elections are to run from November 16, 2014 to February 12,2015.

    For the governorship/State Assembly candidates, their campaigns are permitted from November 30, 2014 to February 26, 2015.

    Candidates in the June 2014 election in Ekiti State are free to start campaigning from March 23.

    Forms for the election will be available for collection from April 1.

    Party primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from them, should not be later than April 14.

    The last day for the submission of Forms CF001 and CF002 at INEC headquarters is April 21 while the commission will publish the personal particulars of candidates on April 28.

    INEC sources said yesterday that the commission would be strict in ensuring compliance with the restriction on campaign.

    Sources warned that the release of the timetable should not in any be seen as a licence to commence campaign.

    One source said: “What we have done is to announce the timetable in line with our constitutional mandate. At least, Nigerians now have a picture of our plans. We hope that will reduce agitation for our schedule.

    “By Sections 76, 178, 116 and 132 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and Section 26 of the Electoral Act, 2010, dates of elections are to be appointed by the Commission.

    “All the parties should not make the mistake of assuming that we have directed them to flag off their campaign.”

    Responding to a question, the source said that Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 (As Amended) is explicit that campaign can only start 90 days to any poll.

    His words: “The Act says ‘For the purpose of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.’

    “Anything outside this would be a violation of the law and the Commission may apply appropriate sanctions against culprits as provided by relevant sections of the law.

    “So, you can see that the campaign for presidential, governorship, National Assembly and State Assembly elections would have to begin from around November 17 and thereafter.”

    It was also gathered that INEC may allow only people with the Permanent Voter’s Cards to vote during the 2015 elections.

    The commission is likely the experiment this with the Ekiti governorship poll in June and the Osun governorship election in August.

    Another source in the commission said: “We are contemplating the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards for the 2015 poll. Do not forget that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had in April last year approved contract of about N2.6billion for the printing of 40 million cards as part of the First Phase.”

    The contract was awarded to Art Technology Limited with the technical partner “Obature” in France at the cost of N65 per card.

    The commission plans to replace all the 73.5million temporary voters’ cards issued for the 2011 general elections as part of the strategy to check rigging and multiple voting.

    The Permanent Voters Cards have microchips, which have the biodata of voters and are valid for 10 years.

     

  • Varsities lead the way in e-voting

    Varsities lead the way in e-voting

    More universities are embracing e-voting. The Lagos State University (LASU) joined the league on Monday, conducting elections electronically on its four campuses simultaneously. Is that a sign of good things to come for Nigeria? KOFOWOROLA BELO-OSAGIE and MEDINAT KANABE report.

    More universities are adopting electronic voting. On Monday, the Lagos State University (LASU) joined the league. It conducted elections electronically on its four campuses simultaneously, beating the record of other institutions, which only did so on one campus.

    The institutions are the University of Calabar (UNICAL), University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) and the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), which have designed and deployed software applications in the conduct of school-wide elections.

    At the UNILORIN, the e-voting platform used for the Students’ Union (SU) elections of 2012 and last year was developed by two Computer Science students. Its success in 2012 resulted in its adoption for the election last year after some modifications.

    The situation was similar at the UNICAL, where lecturers and students from the Physics Department developed the application used for the SU elections in the past two years. Emmanuel Ahahonu, who just graduated from the Political Science Department monitored both elections and told of how shortcomings were corrected to improve the process.

    Students were required to register online. Emmanuel said when they complained of the stress, the application was modified in such a way they could register with their phones.

    “I give them a pass mark because testing such a project for the first time was commendable. When they talked about it initially, people thought it was not possible. Almost all the complaints (registered in 2012) were corrected (in 2013) – though there was still an alternative for manual voting,” he said.

    This year, Ahahonu said there are plans to introduce biometrics to cross check the identity of the student voters.

    At LASU SU elections on Monday, the institution deployed biometrics in the voters’ registration and verification for the exercise.

    LASU ICT Centre Systems Analyst, Mr Adewale Adepoju said the process involved two steps: verification and voting.

    He said: “The students have to identify themselves with a school identification card, matriculation number or course form. After providing it, the student’s information would be logged in and sent to the LASU database where the bearer’s picture will come out and he or she will be identified.

    “If verified authentic, the student will give his finger print and be enrolled for a token. The token can only be used for voting once. The student will also provide an email address and phone number where an email and message will be sent to inform them that they have cast their votes.”

    The system used in LASU, which was deployed simultaneously in the main campus at Ojo, and three other campuses in Epe (Faculty of Engineering), Surulere (School of Communication) and Ikeja (College of Medicine), was developed by two 500-Level students of Electronics Computer Engineering, Jubril Isa and Kolawole Majid as their final-year project.

    Their Project Supervisor, Mr Ajasa Abiodun, advised them to partner on the project (electronic inter networked voting system, called Ivote) to enhance its application. Isa had developed a similar voting application earlier, which he first tested during the engineering faculty students’ elections. He said his role as chairman, electoral committee of the faculty gave him the platform to use the application.

    Twenty-two-year-old Isa, who is from Kogi State, said: “I was the Chairman, Electoral Committee for my faculty election in 400-Level. I decided to do something different from the conventional voting system so I created an e-voting application which we used for the election and it was a success. I thought if it could work for the faculty, then it could be extended to the Students Union election, so I decided to do it again for my final project,” he said.

    With the success of the faculty elections, the LASU management soon bought into the idea and involved the instruction’s ICT team.

    The Dean, Students Affairs of the university, Prof Kabiru Olusegun Akinyemi, said the university spent N1 million on the project.

    He said: “When the students brought up the idea, they encouraged them to go ahead with it. We used the Faculty of Engineering to test what they brought and then assisted in modifying and suggesting some things. They went to the vice chancellor and a meeting was called where it was demonstrated and criticised.

    “The university decided to support the project, so the ICT Centre headed by Prof Olatunde Oni, was consulted and asked to help the students. The university gave them over a N1 million to do this.”

    Explaining further, Oni said the university deployed a total 140 computers for the exercise.

    He said: “What we have deployed can be used for national election. We have deployed all voting applications in all four campuses and we have deployed 80 computers in Ojo and 20 each in other campuses.

    “We registered 8, 000 students successfully. The results will be known two minutes after the final person votes. The e-voting has a zero tolerance for manipulation. LASU has utilised all process of election. It will be unbiased. We have also taken care of power supply. All campuses are networked. We use only one central server to collate all the results from all the campuses and only a few trusted people have access to the centre to prevent manipulation. The application will use bio-metric feature to curb multiple voting. The voting application has been developed online,” he said.

    Isa’s partner, Majid, would love if the process is adopted by INEC.

    “It will give the people an opportunity for a free and fair election. It will take great expertise for this process to be manipulated. Our web server is the only place where it can be manipulated and the system has a device that will show every activity carried on the server,” he said.

    The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Ikuforiji Adeyemi, who witnessed the election at the S.L. Adu Hall, said he would recommend that the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega invest in the school and the software developers instead of wasting billions outside the country.

    He said: “If LASU can do it, why can’t INEC come and invest in here, instead of taking billions out of the country. If we cannot learn from our children, shame on us. We will let Jega know that it is working here.”

     

    Biometric machine

     

    Beyond developing e-voting applications, researchers at the UNILORIN have come up with a prototype biometric machine, which functions far better than the foreign ones in use in the country.

    The machine, which was developed from the World Bank-assisted Science and Technology Education Post-Basic (Step-B) project funds, is designed to capture physical features of blacks and Nigerians, which the foreign versions have difficulties doing.

    The machine was developed by Prof. Tunji Samuel Ibiyemi of the Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department, and three others (Prof. J. Sadiku of Computer Science Department, Dr. S. A. Aliu and Dr. I. O. Avazi of Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department) to study ‘Biometric Signal Processing for Personal Application and Forensic Application’.

    Ibiyemi told The Nation that the machine can checkmate impersonation, economic fraud, multiple voting, examination malpractices, election rigging, and security.

    Besides taking finger prints, the Professor of Electrical and Electronics Engineering said their own biometric machine can record facial and signature features as well.

    Compared to what INEC is using, which only checks multiple voting in an area, Ibiyemi said the UNILORIN version can check multiple voting on a national scale.

    “It can eliminate multiple registration/voting. If properly implemented, you do not need to vote where you registered; you can vote anywhere. What INEC is using only documents biometrics and you have to vote where you register. There was a time one or two of their machines was missing and they were jittery. But if our own gets missing, they do not need to worry because we electronically mapped them; so anywhere they are used, we can identify them,” he said.

    If mass produced, Ibiyemi said, the UNILORIN biometric machine will cost about N25,000, which is far cheaper than the foreign versions.

    “The cost at prototype level is more expensive than the imported ones. But if it is mass produced, one machine will come to about N25,000,” he said.

    Ibiyemi also made a case for local content, arguing that sensitive data regarding security should be localised.

    “The developed world have their own biometric machines to their specifications. They don’t contract it out. Anything security is better done in-house. It is the same technology, but we look at our own specifications to design it,” he said.

    Ibiyemi has, however, not been too successful getting relevant national authorities to reckon with his invention.

    “I approached Prof Maurice Iwu (former INEC Chairman) about the invention. He invited me and was excited about it. He promised to convene a workshop and involve the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Indentity-Card Commission because he said it is relevant to them in three months. However, he was removed before the time came.

    Since Jega came into the saddle, he said he has not succeeded in meeting with him.

    “I have tried to get across to Prof Attahiru Jega ( INEC chairman), but I have not been successful. So, I left it; after all, I do not need it. I only want to help. Ilorin is far from Abuja. It is not easy going the distance,” he said.

    When asked to comment on the innovations in e-voting being used in the universities, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman, Mr Kayode Idowu, said with a ban on e-voting in the constitution, the commission cannot attend to them because it would be illegal.

    “There is still a legal prohibition in place against e-voting. It is even premature to discuss the possibilities. But when the ban is lifted, then of course we can consider local solutions,” he told The Nation on phone.

    Section 52 (2) of the Electoral Law outlaws e-voting in Nigeria.

  • Electronic voting to wait, says Jega

    Electronic voting to wait, says Jega

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said Nigerians agitating for electronic voting system may have to wait beyond the 2015 elections.

    The INEC chairman said such a voting system would not be feasible for the next elections.

    Jega spoke yesterday in Kaduna at a retreat for INEC national commissioners and directors.

    He noted that though the commission had not given the nation a “perfect” election, it was determined to overcome its challenges.

    The INEC chairman said the constitution prohibits electronic voting, adding: “There is a provision that says electronic voting is prohibited. INEC is law-abiding; we will do what the law say.

    “Unless the Electoral Act is amended to accommodate electronic voting, there is no way we can do electronic voting. Even if that provision is changed, we will still have to look and see whether or not it is feasible. So, to be honest with you, it is unlikely that we will do electronic voting in 2015.”

    Jega said the commission had not done a perfect job because such a feat is difficult for any human being to achieve.

    He said: “On the balance, if you compare the good things we have done with the challenges we have faced, there is no reason to doubt that 2015 will be better.

    “We promised that the 2011 elections would be better than previous elections and we delivered on that promise. We promised that there would be continuous improvement, and in all the governorship elections we have had, you can see improvement.

    “There have been unfortunate reversals. Even with those reversals and the way they were made to appear by the media is different from the actual realities of what happened.

    “People talk of Anambra election as if it was totally bad. There were mistakes, and we admit the mistakes. But we have done everything possible to correct them as we move towards 2015”

  • Alleged multiple registrations: Court adjourns APC’s suit against Obiano

    Alleged multiple registrations: Court adjourns APC’s suit against Obiano

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has applied to the Federal High Court, Abuja, for permission to seek an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prosecute Anambra State Governor-elect Willie Obiano, for alleged multiple registration.

    Joined as respondent in the motion ex-parte for leave to apply for an order of mandamus is the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar.

    The motion, moved yesterday by APC’s lawyer, John Ainetor, seeks leave “to apply for an order of mandamus compelling the first and second respondents (INEC and IGP) to prosecute Obiano for multiple registrations, following Section 12(2) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended and Section 4 and 23 of the Police Act.”

    APC said its motion followed the refusal by the respondents to respond to its November 12 letter on the issue.

    The party said from the voter register given to it at the last governorship election, it found that Obiano, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), allegedly engaged in multiple registrations in contravention of the Electoral Act.

    “From the voter register, there is evidence of multiple registrations by Obiano, who was issued with a card: No. (VIN) 90F5B13B88377091121 at 2.18pm on August 21, 2013 and VIN 90F5B15E7D378200332 at 10.25am on September 3, 2013.

    “Further investigation showed that Obiano earlier registered at Ifako/Soluyi Ward 2 Polling Unit 060 (Junction of Ramot Oluwakemi Street), Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State, with VIN 90F5B12BO1296204172 and serial No. 461.”

    Ainetor urged the court to grant the prayer because it was a precondition for the applicant to apply for the order compelling INEC and IGP to act on the issue.

    He said the application was intended to prevent further violation of the Electoral Act.

    When asked by Justice Gabriel Kolawole whether Obiano should be a party in the case, Ainetor said it was unnecessary, because the order sought was not directed at the governor-elect.

    He also told the judge that it was a requirement under the court’s rules that such application for leave be brought ex-parte.

    Ainetor, citing the court’s Order 34 Rule 5, said the respondents could only be put on notice, upon the permission for order of leave.

    Justice Kolawole adjourned ruling till January 31.

  • Anambra tribunal begins pre-hearing Feb 4

    Anambra tribunal begins pre-hearing Feb 4

    •Ngige, Obiano, INEC case starts

    Anambra State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal will begin pre-hearing of the governorship election case on February 4.

    The three-man tribunal is led by Justice Ishak Bello. It will hear petitions arising from the November 16, 2013 poll.

    Justice Bello, who spoke at the inaugural sitting in Awka yesterday, said the date was chosen to enable parties file their replies.

    He urged prompt filing of replies and timely sittings, adding that the panel would not entertain unnecessary adjournments.

    Justice Bello sought the cooperation and understanding of the parties to ensure that Nigeria was placed among the nations where dispensation of justice was not delayed.

    He enjoined the media to be cautious in their reports, saying peaceful co-existence does not lie in the hands of the judiciary alone.

    Ten Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) were present at the tribunal’s inaugural sitting, including the lead counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr. Adegboyega Awomolo.

    Others are counsel to Chief Willie Obiano of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN); counsel to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Mr. Patrick Ikweto (SAN); counsel to Senator Chris Ngige and the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN), among others.

    Other lawyers, who announced appearance for parties, included Chief Clems Ezike for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr. George Igbokwe, counsel to Mr. Tony Nwoye, the PDP governorship candidate.

    Awomolo said they would discharge their duties efficiently. Another lawyer, Ngige, pledged cooperation.

     

  • Laudable judgment

    Laudable judgment

    • FG should comply with judgment on fiscal autonomy for judiciary

    The recent judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which ruled in favour of fiscal autonomy for the judiciary, is in tandem with the provision of the 1999 constitution. The judgment was delivered in a suit brought by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). In his judgment, Justice Ademola Adeniyi ordered that the funds in the revenue account of the federation, due to the judiciary, should be paid to the heads of court, as envisaged by section 81(3) of the 1999 constitution. We add that other funds due to important organs of state, like the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), should also be paid directly to them.

    It is absolutely in the common interest of our democracy that the provisions and intent of our constitution should be manifestly obeyed. A situation where the executive, with the connivance of the legislature, abuse the rights and prerogatives of the judiciary with respect to their constitutionally guaranteed independence must stop. Unfortunately, this flagrant abuse of our constitution is experienced at the federal and state levels of government. At the state, most governors view the judiciary as an appendage of their executive powers, and sometimes treat the courts as mere irritants. This too must stop.

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the senior lawyers, who have thrown their weight in favour of the ruling of the court, must walk their talk. They can do this by defending the judgment if appealed against, up to the Supreme Court. We also urge the courts not to shy away from asserting their constitutionally guaranteed independence. The heads of courts must stand up to the abuse from the executive, and insist that monies approved in the budget for them, should be released in tandem with the country’s constitution.

    The Attorney-General of the Federation and the states’ attorney-generals must also show interest in this matter. After all, they were first admitted as lawyers before they were appointed as attorney generals by the executive authority; so they have a responsibility to espouse the provisions of the constitution and vehemently defend it. Part of their responsibility to the profession should include standing up for the rule of law and defending the independence and integrity of the judiciary. Indeed, the constitution expressly regards attorney-generals as the Chief Law Officers, and it is only fair to live up their titles.

    It is also expected that a financially autonomous judiciary will rise up to defend her integrity, by being uncompromisingly independent in its judgments. As Nigerians witnessed in recent past, there has been accusations of corrupt influence, within the judiciary; especially with respect to judgments on electoral matters. Our hope, and we believe that of many Nigerians, is that if the judiciary exercises its financial independence, it would be less influenced by the executive, and its judgments will help heal our political process.

    For financial autonomy to be really meaningful, the judiciary must also purge itself of corruption, both of the judicial process and fund management. After all, financial autonomy would mean that the judges and other judicial workers will be better paid, and unless that transforms to comprehensive integrity of the whole process; then it will be of little value.

    Again, financial autonomy should come with prudent management of resources by the heads of the court; as it would be tragic if the heads see such a development as opportunity to help themselves to the commonwealth of their constituency, as we see in the executive and legislative arms. In all, it is heart-warming that JUSUN has prodded a match to constitutionalism.

  • Ekiti elders preach unity

    The Ekiti State Council of Elders has urged indigenes to unite as the governorship election approaches.

    In a statement after a meeting held at the Afao-Ekiti country home of Chief Oladeji Fasuan, the council said divisions of party should not sway people away from making genuine commitments to develop the state.

    The forum, which comprises members of the State Elders’ Council, Forum of Retired Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Service, warned politicians against using politics to cause division among residents.

    It regretted that the high concentration of scholars and technocrats across various disciplines and endeavours had not translated into meaningful development in the state.

    At the meeting were former Governor of the old Ondo State Evang. Bamidele Olumilua; Justice Edward Ojuolape (rtd.); Chief Gabriel Ojo Falegan; former Secretary to the State Government Chief Bade Gboyega and a former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner, Mrs. Tola Ajayi.

    Others are Chief Francis Daramola; Chairman, Ekiti State Hospitals’ Management Board, Dr. Bayo Orire; former House of Assembly member Chief Segun Ola; Prof O. Omoyeni; Dr. Kunle Olajide; Chief Yemi Alade; Pastor Richard Adejuyigbe; and Prof P.O. Adetiloye.

    The statement reads: “The meeting sued for peace in Ekiti State, especially during the coming election, to ensure that campaigns and the election are free of rancour, bitterness, thuggery and rigging.

    “Ekiti elders regret the current trend among our people, who seem to discourage their children from speaking the Ekiti dialect. It is feared that if this trend continues, our dialect, with all its cultural and proverbial values, will become extinct.”

    Evang. Olumilua urged politicians to use the state’s cultural homogeneity to facilitate its development, rather than using it to cause disunity.

    He said: “Our citizens, particularly politicians, are the ones dividing us. We expect them to find ways to use the state’s homogeneity to unite us.

    “We have to stop killings in the name of politics. People should not see politics as a murderous game, but an instrument that can be used to take us to the level of development that we desire.”

    Condemning the enmity among politicians, Fasuan said all hope was not lost in attempts to redeem and restore the core values of love, unity and peace among the people.

    He said: “The divergences and recriminations that occur in our society today are as a result of the political development in Nigeria, a development that brought forward patriots and deviants, honest and non-chalant people, committed and self-seeking adventurers.

    “We pray that these people will calm down and accept the will of the God of our forefathers, who helped them to fight the aggressors to a stand still at Imesi-Ile in 1876.”

  • Jega: we’ll give our best in 2015

    Jega: we’ll give our best in 2015

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said the electoral body is not promising perfect elections in 2015.

    Jega spoke yesterday in Abuja when he hosted the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr James Entwistle, at the INEC Headquarters.

    The INEC chairman said the commission would do its best to give the nation credible polls.

    He said: “We are not promising perfect elections in 2015, but we are confident that we will do our best. We have taken some steps to achieve this. For instance, we’re organising staff training in collaboration with development partners, strategic plans and reorganising the staff. We are planning a retreat to finalise the timetable for 2015.

    “We are still on the continuous voter register and have held meetings with security agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs) and development partners ahead of 2015. While it is the responsibility of INEC to organise civic and other registration awareness, the commission faces challenges of funding as well.

    “It is our responsibility, under the Electoral Act, to do civil education and political education. It has always been challenging because the resources available to discharge that responsibility are usually insufficient, given the enormity of the task of dealing with a large illiterate population and to get them to understand what to do.”

    Entwistle promised America’s support, saying: “I have been here for two and a half months and I want to come over and pay my respect to the chairman of Nigeria’s election commission. That’s because as I have stated clearly in some of my public comments, as Nigerians move to elections next year, the United States stand with Nigeria as it moves towards peaceful and transparent elections.

    “I have to introduce myself and some of my team to the INEC. Obviously, we will work.”

    The envoy spoke on funding of INEC and the activities of politicians.

    He said: “The funding of INEC is a Nigerian matter and that of the National Assembly. But we are looking at a way we can help INEC through different technical funds and so on.

    “In any election campaign, obviously freedom of speech is important. But in all countries, including mine, politicians have a responsibility to be responsible. In talking about the issues, they should be fair in what they say.

    “Any comment by anybody talking about democracies, which will flare up ethnic tensions, promote violence and engage in unfair criticism of the process, is unfortunate and it’s not acceptable…”

    “We just met inside to decide what to do and focus on things, such as polling the capabilities of INEC, perhaps supporting Nigerians observer and other groups. Soon, we will get back to you with the details.”

  • Don’t expect perfect elections in 2015 – Jega

    Don’t expect perfect elections in 2015 – Jega

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Monday sounded unconvincing on the 2015 general election.

    Jega said the electoral body was not promising a perfect election come 2015.

    Jega, who spoke during an audience with the United States of America Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle at the INEC Headquaters, Abuja, however said the commission will do its best.

    He said, “We are not promising a perfect election in 2015 but we are confident that we will do our best. We have taken some steps to achieve this, for instance staff training in collaboration with development partners, strategic plans and reorganized staff. We are planning a retreat to finalize the timetable for 2015.

    “We are still on the continuous voters’ register and have held series of meetings with security agencies, CSOs and development partners ahead of 2015. While it is the responsibility of INEC to organize civic and other registration awareness, the commission faces challenges of funding as well.

    “It is our responsibility under the Electoral Act to do civil education and even political education generally. It has always been challenging because the resources available to discharge that responsibility are usually insufficient, given the enormity of the task of dealing with a large illiterate population and to get them really understand what to do not only during voting but the larger issues of choosing good candidates and so on.”

    In his remark, the US Ambassador assured Nigeria of his country’s support.

     

  • Reps committee to propose adequate funding for INEC

    The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Jerry Manwe, on Sunday said the committee would ensure adequate funding for the Independent Electoral Commission ( INEC ) in the 2014 budget.

    Manwe told the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja that the committee would critically look at the provision for INEC in the budget to ensure that it was adequate for it to conduct the 2015 general elections.

    He said that if it became necessary to allocate more funds to the commission to enable it to conduct free and credible elections, “it will be provided,” he said.

    “If more funding would enable the commission to conduct credible, free and fair elections, the committee would go ahead to propose that,” he maintained.

    He explained that the House “does not give funds to agencies of government but could make proposal.”

    According to Manwe, the committee will also look at the entire operations of the commission to ensure that it is adequately prepared for the task ahead.

    “First, we will look at their budget and invite them and ask them questions on the level of their preparation towards the 2015 elections,” he said.