•Ekiti voters’ list out today
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has again defended the February dates for the 2015 elections.
He said the dates would enable politicians with litigations to have enough time to attend to them.
This, the INEC chairman said, is inevitable in Nigeria, where litigations need to be addressed before the handing over date and not to favour a group over the other.
Prof Jega warned on the need for political parties to stick to timelines for campaigns.
The INEC chairman debunked the reports that the commission provided two different voters’ lists for last November’s election in Anambra State.
He said the voters’ lists for Ekiti State would be provided today as a prelude to the beginning of the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR).
Jega spoke at the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)/INEC Forum on: Broadcast Media Coverage of Election: A Preamble to 2015.
He said: “Let me use the opportunity of this forum to restate that INEC’s choice of those dates was informed by purely rational and logical considerations. We have scheduled the elections for February 2015 to allow ample time for litigation, which are inevitable in our Nigerian context, before the commencement of new tenures of May 29, 2015.
“The allegation that INEC changed the sequence of elections in 2015, when compared with 2011, is simply not true. In 2011, we had the National Assembly election first; then, the presidential election and lastly, the state elections into governorship and State Assembly seats.”
Prof Jega, who also responded to the call for one-day elections, said the task was daunting for the country.
He said: “There have been calls from some quarters that Nigeria should conduct one-day elections, as it is the practised in some other countries. Convinced in INEC that the challenges of holding one-day elections are too daunting for our democracy at this time, all we have done is to combine the national elections – namely for National Assembly seats and presidential – on one day, and states elections – for governorship offices and states Assembly seats – on another. This, for us, is rational and defensible things to do. But we also know that partisan criticism of whatever move we make is inevitable. So, we will just stay focused.”
The INEC chairman expressed concerns about “increased tendency to pre-empt electioneering by political parties”.
He said the commission had noticed in Ekiti and Osun states as well as on 2015 elections.
Prof Jega reminded the political parties of the timelines for campaigns, adding that early campaigns would heat up the polity.
He said: “One more issue that gives us increasing concern in INEC is the growing tendency by political parties towards pre-emptive electioneering. This tendency is a violation of statutory provisions – for instance, Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2010 – on the time when campaigns can be legally conducted. The notices we issued recently on the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, as well as the 2015 elections, indicate the timelines for campaigns, based on legal provisions. Premature electioneering will not only heat up the polity unnecessarily, it will also be breaking established laws of this country.”
The INEC chairman urged the media to cooperate with the commission to ensure free, fair and transparent elections in 2015.
He said: “The media, just like the security agencies, have a role to play in discouraging the growing tendency and calling political actors to order for the good health of our democracy.”
Prof Jega listed insecurity, funding, attitude of the political class and inactive citizenry as some of the challenges the commission was facing.
The INEC chairman assured the commission was “doing all that is desirable to bring about free, fair, credible and peaceful elections”.
He urged the media and other stakeholders to work with INEC to accomplish its tasks.
