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Tag: Jega

  • 2015: Be impartial, Uche begs Jega

    THE prelateof the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Dr. Samuel Uche, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct free and fair election in 2015.

    Addressing reporters in Lagos at the anniversary of his one year in office, Uche said Prof. Attahiru Jega must defend the constitution rather than allowing the will of individuals who want to subvert the electoral process to prevail.

    He said: “Jega should be fair; he should not be bought over by any party. The police and soldiers should not be bought over.

    “They should know that the constitution is above any personal interest and should defend it.”

    Uche cautioned politicians against uncivilised conducts, noting that the level of decorum they display will determine the outcome of the polls.

    The cleric condemned acts that contradict the position of the Bible, saying that those who divorce and commit adultery were not good example of what Christianity stands for.

    He said: “At the conference we held, we condemned gay marriage, homosexuality and lesbianism.

    “Any minister that divorces should be ready to be excommunicated. We don’t tolerate polygamy.

    “Church leaders who commit adultery are wolves in sheep clothing, church leaders committing adultery is condemnable.”

  • Jega: Dousing cynics’ doubts

    Jega: Dousing cynics’ doubts

    Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega does nothing by half measures. He has established a reputation for approaching all engagements with passion. For this reason, it is difficult to doubt his commitment to his current assignment. His valiant efforts, last week, to disabuse the minds of cynics during the lecture titled “Stakeholders and the electoral process in Nigeria”, organized by the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos is in character.  He used the occasion to celebrate some of his achievements, let us into his plans to tackle identified challenges and douse the doubts of cynics who believe ‘he who pays the piper dictates the tune’.  For him, INEC”s last Osun outing was a success, a verdict which many may disagree with. He also celebrated INEC efforts to reduce the $8 current cost of funding per voter which he said compares favourably with international standard by $1. Here also, many believe such a drain cannot be justified especially if there are other cheaper means in a nation where 75% of the people live below a dollar a day. He also seized the opportunity to announce INEC’s decision to use card reader for the 2015 election.  According to him, “If you buy voter cards, you can’t use them on voting day because the INEC mechanism put in place in every polling unit will detect fraud  and whoever that is involved will be arrested on the spot for electoral fraud and prosecuted.”

    He also told his audience that “the consolidation and-duplication of the biometric register of voters has been completed, as a result of which the register of voters  now has the tremendous integrity – much better than the one with which the 2011 election “ was conducted.

    But amidst these efforts aimed at assuaging people’s fears, his discussion about the difficulty his body is having about defining what constitutes party expenditure and what constitutes electioneering campaign by the political parties (the electoral law provides only three months for the political parties and their candidates to sell their wares to the electorate) clearly show INEC is haunted by the dictum of ‘he who pays the piper dictate the tune’. And of course added to this was his strident defence of militarization of the electoral process, undertaken by one party to a contest over which he serves as an arbiter.

    But before advancing self-evident reasons to support the above thesis, we must observe first that those who operate under the philosophy of ‘there are other means to kill a hen other than slitting the throat’, who sought out Jega for his current assignment merely wanted to exploit his integrity and naiveté. It was not out of a desire for free and fair election. If that were their objectives, Jega’s appointment by an interested party to a dispute as an arbiter defeated that. The Uwais report which was whimsically jettisoned by PDP and President Jonathan would have provided a more credible response to electoral fraud.

    Jega’s answer to what he described as  “several security threats that now characterize the electoral process such as physical attacks on INEC staff and facilities, attacks on security personnel on election duty, misuse of security orderlies by politicians, attacks on political opponents” is the deployment of about 75,000 heavily armed security personnel, with a number of them hooded under the control of rabidly partisan minister of defence and his counterpart in police affairs  moving around freely with Chris Ubah, a self-confessed election master rigger of Okija/Anambra fame on election day after opposition members had been driven out of town or to seek refuge in  their mother’s room as was the case of Isiaka Adeleke, former governor of the state.

    It cannot be any less depressing that the security men are not under the control of INEC chairman but under the control of those with questionable past who as we have now discovered, went around supervising the arrest of their political opponents in their homes on the eve of election. Jega’s optimism could only have been justified if he were in control of the security men in his capacity as the chairman of INEC whose responsibility it is to conduct a free, fair credible election. Not many are persuaded that those who had used power of state to rig in 2003, 2007 and 2011 will not do the same in 2015 when they seem to have been officially licensed to do so. Their outings in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun have not shown otherwise.

    Jega who like his employers share common sentiments that the militarization of the electoral process is dictated by today’s reality has not  told us why the  1993 election considered as the most credible and least expensive in our nation’s history was without violence  or why the 1999 election was relatively devoid of violence. The federal government has similarly not bothered to ask because a mirror cannot see itself. We couldn’t have suddenly forgotten that it was PDP under Obasanjo that institutionalized massive rigging or what he called ‘do or die election’ in 2003 to retain his threatened presidency. The 2003 electoral fraud was to become a preamble to the massive rigging of the 2007 election. Thoroughly embarrassed and scandalized by the massive electoral fraud, the late president Yar’Adua promptly set up the Uwais commission. The President and his party that suppressed the report now want us to accept as an alternative, massive deployment of security forces under their control.

    Sadly for Jega, many believe he bought into that crooked logic because he cannot confront those who appointed him. It was for the same reason, Jega will pretend not to know that when President Jonathan, his vice president and the senate president and other PDP stalwarts flew three jets, bought and fuelled by taxpayers to entertain decamping politicians in Kwara, Sokoto and Kano; they had breached the electoral law by embarking on an illegal campaign as well as fraudulent deployment of the nation’s resources to advance their own electoral fortune. For the same reason, Jega and his INEC pretend not to know billions expended on prime-time television slots and in buying space in newspaper by TAN and other shadowy organisations reminiscent of Babangida and Abacha era constitute a breach of the electoral act. We are all waiting for Jega to tell us what to call the on-going rallies across the nation by TAN on behalf of the president.

    This is not to doubt Jega’s commitment and sincerity in a nation where even elected leader see themselves as doing the people a favour, where when a president is challenged to act his office as commander-in-chief, he threatened a governor; where admirers of some high-achieving governors like Oshiomhole of Edo, Uduaghan of Delta and Godswill Akpabio of Bayelsa think they should be canonised as saints for routine implementation of their party programmes especially when compared with some of their predecessors who stole their states blind, Jega has done exceedingly well when compared to Prof Maurice Iwu’s disgraceful outing in 2007.  But for the military and PDP that have tried to drag the nation down to their level, we should be comparing Attahiru Jega with his counterparts in other commonwealth countries such as Britain, Canada and Australia. That was the standard by which our nation was rated before the locust years, a golden period of our nation when UCH Ibadan was rated as one of the best three teaching hospitals in Commonwealth.

  • INEC to use card readers in 2015, says Jega

    INEC to use card readers in 2015, says Jega

    Politicians planning to rig the 2015 elections by buying voter cards should forget it. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will use card readers to detect impersonation at the polling units, Chairman Attahiru Jega has said.

    Prof. Jega explained that on election day, the polling officer will ask the presenter of a Permanent Voter Card (PVC)  to put his fingers on the machine for authentication and verification. If it is valid, the machine will say ‘verified’; if not, it will say ‘unverified’. The INEC boss said if the machine says not verified and “such a person is allowed to vote, you cannot blame the Commission for that”.

    He said: “If you buy voter cards you can’t use them on voting day because the mechanism we are putting in place in every polling unit will detect fraud  and whoever that is involved will be arrested on the spot for electoral fraud and prosecuted.”

    Jega spoke yesterday at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) where he delivered a lecture: “Stakeholders and the electoral process in Nigeria”. It was organised by the Department of Sociology.

    The INEC chief said to ensure 100 per cent verification and authentication in the 2015 elections, the commission had started issuing registered voters with chip-based PVCs which will be swiped by the card readers. “We have distributed the cards in 24 states till date while distribution will take place in outstanding states under the third phase of the programme at a date to be announced by the commission,” he said.

    The INEC boss described the August 9 Osun State governorship poll as the best election so far. He said the commission was not relenting on its performance “by  tasking ourselves that the Adamawa State gubernatorial election coming up in October should be the best”.

    In preparation for the 2015 general elections, Jega said: “The consolidation and de-duplication of the biometric register of voters has been completed, as a result of which the register of voters  now has the tremendous integrity-much better than the one with which the 2011 elections were conducted. Indeed, our register compares favourably with any register of voters on the African continent.”

    He said the commission had submitted recommendations for improvements to the legal framework on the Electoral Act and the Constitution to the National Assembly.

    His words: “An Election Risk Management Tool, designed with support from the African Union (AU) and International IDEA, has been deployed ahead of 2015 to enable the commission to gather information about risk factors associated with elections, be able to analyse them and deploy effective measures to contain or mitigate those factors, towards ensuring peaceful and violence-free elections.

    “All guidelines and regulations on the electoral process are being revised while discussion has commenced with legal experts across the country on how to enact and gazette them.”

    Jega also spoke on the challenges ahead of 2015 elections. He said insecurity was one of the most depressing epithets of elections in Nigeria. The heat and passion associated with elections in the country often make elections appear like war, he observed. “Several security threats now characterise the electoral process. These include physical attacks on INEC staff and facilities, attacks on security personnel on election duty, misuse of security orderlies by politicians, attacks on political opponents, cyber- attacks targeting INEC’s data bases, especially the register voters, violence at campaigns, intimidation of voters, snatching and destruction of election materials,” the INEC boss said.

    He said the second challenge facing the Commission is adequate funding of the elections. “Our estimate is that the cost of election per voter, which is an international standard for viewing the cost of elections, is coming down in Nigeria. We project that for the 2015 elections,  this would come further down by almost $1- from $8 in 2011 to $7.99, representing almost 10% drop. This compares favourably with some other African countries.”

    Another key challenge facing the electoral process, the INEC Chairman said, is widespread absence of moderation among politicians. Jega said the Commission remain deeply concerned about growing conflicts within the party.

    At the occasion were the UNILAG Vice Chancellor represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics and Research), Professor Babajide Alo, Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Professor John Obafunwa, Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria Mr Perry Calderwood and political parties’ representatives.

  • Election ’ll be credible, says Jega

    Election ’ll be credible, says Jega

    •INEC justifies heavy security need

    Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof. Attahiru Jega has assured Nigerians of  free, fair and credible election in Osun State on August 9.

    Jega, who spoke at an event titled: “Experience Sharing Dialogue With Media Professionals” in Abuja yesterday,  justified the need for effective deployment of security personnel during the election.

    He argued that the measure would ensure a violence-free poll in Osun State.

    The commission chairman warned politicians involved in the Osun poll to eschew violence and to approach the  election with a positive mindset.

    Jega said INEC would  adopt the colour-coding method in the ballot papers to be used in Osun as it was effective in the Ekiti poll.

    He said: “In Ekiti, there was an effective engagement with security agencies. We believe that the mobilisation of security led to a violence-free election in Ekiti State despite the post-election complaints.

    “In Osun, we will also be up and doing. Though Osun is relatively larger than Ekiti with a voter register of about 1.4 million. We are looking at the size and the complexities and we have factored them in our preparations.

    “Contrary to what some persons say about the Ekiti election, we actually did colour-coding of our ballot papers and the procedures were so rigorous that we would be able to detect any fraud.  We did it in Ekiti and we will continue to do that because it has eliminated fraudulent activities.

    “We will create a level-playing field in Osun and we are cooperating fully with the NYSC and security agencies to ensure a hitch-free election. My assessment is that everything is on course in Osun State for a free, fair and credible poll.  What is left is for the politicians to have a positive mindset towards August 9 and eschew violence.

    “We are doing our best, we’ve done our best and we will do our best and also ensure that the 2015 general elections come out successful.”

    Describing the Ekiti elections as one of the best in recent times conducted by INEC, Jega said the redeployment of the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State had nothing to do with an indictment of the affected officer, but to forestall the raging allegations and counter-allegations by politicians in the state.

    “We are convinced that the former Resident Electoral Commissioner has done nothing wrong, but we have had to take the painful decision to send another person there. Our REC did nothing wrong. We sent another person to Osun to conduct the election to reduce the allegations and counter-allegations.

    “Ekiti poll was successful because INEC adopted a more-centralised, effective and efficient deployment of materials. We also improved on our consultations and stakeholders’ engagements, which go a long way in establishing trust and confidence.”

  • ‘INEC ready for elections in Adamawa, Borno, Yobe’

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reinstated it determination to conduct elections in the three states under emergency rule.

    The three troubled states are – Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

    The states were placed under state of emergency following the increasing activities of the Boko Haram sect who had killed thousands of civilians and security personnel in the last one year.

    Speaking on Monday during an audience with the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) at the commission Headquarters in Abuja, the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the successful conduct of the  bye-election in Yobe, is an indication that the commission is prepared for election in the three states.

    Jega stressed that the recent poll in Yobe State is one of the best elections conducted in recent time.

    He explained that the success of the bye-election despite the security situation illustrated the commission’s commitment to keep improving in its mandate.

    He said, “Most people didn’t know we conducted bye-election in Yobe State last week. That election is one of the best elections conducted so far. This illustrate how committed we are to keep on improving.”

    “If there is any doubt to our preparation in the three states, this is an indication that we are very much prepared.”

     

  • Permanent voter cards ‘ll be used for 2015 elections —Jega

    Permanent voter cards ‘ll be used for 2015 elections —Jega

    The Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) would be used for the 2015 general election to check electoral fraud, it was learnt.

    According to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, distribution of the cards will  commence nationwide  between May and September 2014.

    The period,  he said, would enable every registered voter collect his/her PVC.

    He made the disclosure  while addressing a joint interactive meeting of the INEC and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Abuja.

    Jega also said the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) would also take place to give room for those who turned 18 years to register and vote.

    During the CVR exercise, those who have lost their Temporary Voter Cards (TVC) and cannot be located on the data base would also have the opportunity to have their biometrics captured and cards issued subsequently.

    Regarding the ongoing restructuring in the commission, he explained that the screening of Electoral Officers (EOs) across the country would soon be concluded and the “commission will know those that would stay as EOs and those who will be replaced.”

    The INEC boss said the commission had resolved to ensure credibility and prompt service delivery through internal restructuring of its personnel and policies.

    He noted that the Civil Society Desk of the commission had through the restructuring exercise been upgraded as a division so as to add value to the job of the INEC.

    “Placing round pegs in round holes”, he said formed part of the restructuring as the members of staff had been placed according to their professions and expertise so that the 2015 election would be successful.

    According to him, “no stone would be left unturned in order that 2015 election is better than that of 2011”.

    He explained that both internal and external reviews of the conduct of the 2011 general election was done with a view to highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.

    Consequently, he added that the commission had learnt a lot of lessons from the mistakes of the past and was poised to make the 2015 election better than the 2011 general election.

  • Jega promises credible elections in Ekiti, Osun

    Jega promises credible elections in Ekiti, Osun

    The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega on Monday said that the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states would be well conducted and credible.

    Jega said this at the Quarterly Meeting with political parties in Abuja.

    The chairman said the commission would do everything possible to ensure that the elections are free, fair, peaceful and credible.

    He said that the commission had distributed the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and also conducted registration for those who have become 18 years since the last registration.

    Jega said that INEC had also conducted registration for those whose details have not been sufficiently captured in the electronic register.

    “Although doing these were not without some challenges, overall the two exercises were remarkable improvement over previous efforts.

    “The lessons we have learnt from these will be factored into our preparations for the conduct of the PVCs and the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR), nationwide,” he said.

    Jega called on all the political parties and other stakeholders to continue to cooperate with INEC to enable it improve on the electoral process.

    He also urged political parties and politicians to enter into the electoral arena with full respect for the Code of Conduct which political parties have signed.

    In his remarks, Dr Yinusa Tanko, Chairman, Inter Party Advisory Council (IPAC), commended INEC on its efforts at ensuring that the governorship elections in the two states are credible.

    He however, said that IPAC had made some observations on the PVCs and CVR in Ekiti and Osun.

    According to him, INEC needs to do more in order to sensitise voters on the PVCs and CVR.

    Tanko also said that the ad hoc staff employed for the purpose of the exercise was not well-trained.

    He said that proper training should be given to the adhoc staff ahead of the governorship elections in the two states.

     

  • Tambuwal, Jega: N45b inadequate for INEC

    Tambuwal, Jega: N45b inadequate for INEC

    Next year’s general elections may run into trouble — no thanks to poor funding.

    The government has budgeted N45billion for INEC in this year’s financial plan, but the agency said it sought N102billion.

    Although the elections are fixed for February next year, all the preparations will be done this year.

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal decried the slashing of the INEC budget.

    INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega also said the N45billion is not enough to procure its material needs, let alone run the elections.

    They spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, yesterday during a public lecture organized by the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF).

    Justice Mustapha Akanbi, a retired President of the Court of Appeal and pioneer Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), is the promoter of the foundation.

    Yesterday’s lecture is entitled: “Challenges of fraud-free elections under a democratic dispensation.”

    Tambuwal said: “Now the 2014 appropriation Bill is before the National Assembly and talking about a truly independent INEC, you need to fund the electoral body to be able to carry out its all-important assignment of conducting elections.

    “However, what we have before us as the total sum required by INEC according to the budget office is N45bn whereas INEC itself is requesting about N63.8bn for the proper conduct of that election.

    “This is what INEC is seeking to conduct a free, fair and credible election. We have before us the proposal of N45bn instead of N63.8bn. Therefore, there is a deficit of about N19bn. Unless and until we are able to meet up and give INEC as a government what is required, then we are about preparing…don’t read my body language. “

    Prof Jega said: “On the question of the budget, I must say it is a serious challenge. What the budget office presented is an envelope. We had a prior discussion before that envelope was brought to the National Assembly.

    “As Mr. Speaker rightly said, that budget was actually a fraction of what we need to conduct that election. If we have to keep on improving the integrity of the election, we also have to incur necessary expenditures in that process.

    “We have to engage ad-hoc staff, we have to pay them allowances, we have to transport them or give them transport allowance, we have to provide what we call lunch allowance to security agencies, we have to procure ballot papers with security detail and we also have to procure result sheet in addition to ballot papers and ballot boxes and all those non-sensitive materials that are required to hold elections.

    “And our requirements are far, in excess of what is in the law. What keeps us optimistic is that in 2011, both the National Assembly and the Executive have seen the need to provide appropriate funding in order to do a good election and we are hopeful that this recognition now will be made and funding requirements would be provided.

    “Anytime we mention figures about how much it will cost for election, we are put on the defensive. But since the Honourable Speaker has mentioned the figure, I am duty-bound to mention our figure.

    “In our engagement with the relevant authorities, we said, “Look N45bn is not even sufficient for us to do necessary procurement between now and say November, and to pay salaries and other entitlements of staff because all those are part of this N45bn.

    “The procurement for purely electoral materials and electoral activities alone outside of payment of allowances is more than N45bn. So how can you get N45bn for the entire exercise? Like I said to you, when we had discussion with the budget office, we submitted the budget of N102bn and yet N45bn is what is submitted for us.

    “We hope our engagement with government and the National Assembly will provide more funding for us to be able to do a good job,” he said.

    Tambuwal expressed optimism that the outcome of the general elections would affect the unity of Nigeria.

    The speaker noted that some ‘politicians and ethnic jingoists’ are fond of overheating the polity on the eve of every general election.

    “The 2015 elections are by the corner and already there is so much talk about how the conduct of that election can make or break not only our democracy but out unity. Let me say here that the unity of this country does not depend on the outcome of any election. We have moved past that.

    “Since 1999, it seems that every time we have an election coming, politicians and ethnic jingoists overheat the polity unnecessarily and cause a lot of tension and fear in the land. We must stop seeing everything as the end of our union.

    “We must all imbibe the democratic culture-the idea is that power belongs to the people and it is their sovereign right to determine who governs them. We must learn to respect the wishes of the people, however much it goes against our personal ambitions.

    “This country belongs to all of us equally and we must learnt o obey the rules of democracy. Nothing is gained by threats and counter threats, and democratic mandate is not gained by force or coercion. If the desire to win election is strictly based on our wish to take care of the people’s needs and not to satisfy some selfish desires of our own, then we should allow the people to choose who they want in an atmosphere devoid of fear or rancour.

    The Speaker who lamented that Nigeria has few role model described Justice Akanbi as a shining example of patriotism who must be celebrated.

    Justice Akanbi urged INEC to organise a fraud-free election beginning with governorship elections in Osun and Ekiti states slated for June and August.

    He said: “we are all aware of the controversies that surrounded the last election in Anambra state which compelled Jega to conduct ‘supplementary polls’. True as Jega said, there can hardly be a perfect election anywhere in the world but our clamour is that INEC should endeavour to achieve a near perfect election which will fulfil the aspiration of the majority of Nigerians and ensure that in future elections, there would be no repeat performance of what happened in Anambra state.

    “Until the one-man-one-vote is truly established in this country, the so much desired peace, stability and progress may continue to elude us. This is because those who are not justifiably elected find themselves in power and because they owe no allegiance to the electorate they continue to amass wealth to bribe their way through other forthcoming elections,” Justice Akanbi added.

  • Jega’s make or mar elections

    Jega’s make or mar elections

    If Jega succeeds in saying no, this time around, his name will be written boldly on the right side of history

    ‘Every time, you use external power to ride roughshod over the will of the people in this country, the trigger for the demise of that fledgling democracy was always in the West. If you think the vehicle to smuggling yourself into office is via manipulation and ‘Anambracadabra’, Ekiti is not Anambra. The Mama Ayoka story is still fresh. What I resent is the kind of contemptuous noise coming from the PDP about the plan to take over the state, to capture the South-west and Ekiti and Osun states being the entry point, the gateway in that ‘operation capture the south-west’. You may succeed in capturing and you may also succeed in sounding the death knell of this democracy. It is not a threat really; it is more of an advice to anyone who might be confusing the President.’ Gov. Kayode Fayemi

    In an earlier article – Southwest 2014 elections: will President Jonathan allow history be his guide, Jan 5, 2014– I wrote as follows quoting a co-columnist: ‘we in this part of the country are now much more determined to uphold and show our rejection of electoral fraud – that heinous disease that has periodically brought disaster upon Nigeria since 1964.  We are too culturally attached to free and fair elections to tolerate electoral fraud.’

    Much more than the much hyped 2015 Presidential  election, the Ekiti/ Osun elections offer Prof Attahiru Jega, Chairman, INEC, a  distinct opportunity to  write  his name in gold or infamy. More than any of his  predecessors – Eyo Esua (1960-1966), Michael Ani (1976-1979), Victor Ovie-Whiskey (1983), Eme Awa (1987-1989), Humphrey Nwosu (1989-1993), Prof. Okon Uya (1993-1994), Sumner Dagogo-Jack (1994-1998), Ephraim Akpata (1998-1999), Abel Guobadia (2000-2005),  as well as his irredeemable immediate predecessor , Maurice Iwu (2005-2010), Jega came into office  brandishing  the sterling qualities of a decent academic – a University Vice-Chancellor  to boot.  I took the trouble of naming his predecessors to help him gauge what bile Nigerians have for some of them today.

    If on appointment Jega had thought he was settling down into a sinecure, the PDP, past masters at election rigging, soon taught him otherwise. The new Chairman soon began his electoral odyssey when he was suborned to cancel the 2011 opening day election after it had almost ended in several parts of the country. Those who should know  have since told us it was all a PDP ploy designed to know where in the North Gen. Buhari was very strong electorally to enable the PDP and INEC deploy appropriate  rigging  strategies. It will be recalled that days before the presidential election, it was reported in some newspapers that persons with millions of ballot papers were arrested in Abuja.  But before you could say jack, the PDP Police, aka Nigeria Police, had shut down the trail and Nigerians no longer heard a word about it.  This was the real reason Justice Salami had to be yanked off the Presidential Election Tribunal where he had already granted Buhari access to electoral materials for purposes of a forensic examination but, reversing which, was at the very first sitting of the reconstituted tribunal.

    If that cancellation was Professor Jega’s intro into PDP’s maelstrom of electoral perfidy, he should make the Anambra magic his last for the sake of posterity. We pray he does not burn his fingers in either the Ekiti or Osun elections because, truth be told, none of these two states is Anambra. And we are not bragging here. Rather, we are saying that if these habitual election riggers succeed in tampering with elections in any of Ekiti or Osun where the incumbent governors have so impacted peoples’ uprising several measurable and meaningful developmental strides, they will be asking for a peoples’ insurrection of seismic proportions, complete with international consequences that will have the capacity to ground Nigeria.

    I urge those of them to whom this may mean nothing, being basically self-centred politicians, to reflect on the following recent comments in the New York Times concerning Boko Haram, which is currently gnawing at the country’s entails: “Boko Haram undermines the Nigerian government, leaving it floundering in ineffectual expressions of sympathy for the victims, vowing to redouble its engagement, with declarations of eventual victory that now have little credibility. Although the group’s aims appear limited or mysterious, it is clearly succeeding in one essential goal: critically undermining Nigeria’s federal government. The boarding school attack seemed designed to bring maximum humiliation to President Goodluck Jonathan, occurring as it did two days before centennial celebrations in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, attended by the French president, François Hollande, and some African leaders. The centennial celebrations went on last week and it seemed as though every rogue, scoundrel and genuine hero, living or dead, from Nigerian history was entitled to an award.” These riggers should understand that the world is watching the chicanery going on here; so bad that groups of women societies had to match through the streets of several cities this past week. Unfortunately, the PDP is grossly beyond shame or embarrassment.

    In case this means nothing even to the highest ranks of the PDP, it is our fervent hope that Professor Jega, a scholar, should understand the full implication of this international put-down, and so would elect to stand firm, in refusing to make INEC a PDP rigging partner this time around. Given President  Jonathan’s paranoia with 2015 it is obvious he will buy any tales from his Southwest PDP members; people he had literally forgotten for the better part of his five years in office in matters of quality appointments which had gone in their numbers to other parts of the country. Incurable optimists that they are in turn, even when they know their party is thoroughly despised in Yoruba land, they are going about with a swagger, promising billions from discredited sources and awaiting rigging orders from above. Happily, the Yoruba know their leaders as well as which party is working for the development of Yoruba land and the overall happiness of the greater majority of our people. Each of Governors Fashola, Amosun, Ajimobi, Aregbesola and Fayemi has demonstrated such unequalled passion and panache in service to Yoruba land that  it has become so obvious  the  PDP stands no chance of ever  winning an  election fairly in these parts ever again. Rather than the president permitting himself to be deceived, he should visit any of the Southwest states incognito, even if at night.

    I advise Professor Jega not to put his place in history on the line by joining this multitude to do evil. There had been no election since 1999 in which the PDP did not manipulate INEC, using it shamelessly to rig elections even in places the opposition ended up winning.  So bad was it in 2003, 2007 that those elections were adjudged by international observers as the worst anywhere under the sun. But because the PDP is simply beyond shame, it has never mattered to its members what international opprobrium they attracted to the country.  If Jega succeeds in saying no, this time around, his name will be written boldly on the right side of history. Otherwise, it will be infamy and eternal damnation. The choice is his to make. Under intense pressure to do wrong, he should simply resign and eclipse this government.

  • INEC open to constructive criticisms – Jega

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is open to constructive criticisms from stakeholders.

    The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, was reacting to various commentaries that have trailed the recently released 2015 general elections sequence by the commission.

    Jega spoke in Abuja at an INEC meeting with political parties tagged: “Building Consensus on Electoral Activities Towards 2015,” organized by United Nations Development Programme Democratic Governance for Development Project (UNDP-DGD II).

    The 2015 general elections time table was released one year before the Presidential election slated for February 14, 2015, as against that of the 2011 general elections which was released five months to the election.

    The INEC boss, who was represented at the meeting by the body’s National Commissioner, Mrs. Thelma Iremirem, said, “the commission is no doubt aware of the various commentaries that have trailed the unveiling of the time table for the general elections,” adding that some Nigerians even have objections to the sequence of the elections.

    Explaining the rationale behind the early release of the time table, Jega said it will allow the commission sufficient time to plan and tidy loose ends.

    “The early release of the time table will also be useful for other political actors and security agencies,” Jega said.

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