As Nigerians, both home and abroad, and the rest of the
world await the 2015 general elections with keen interest, the Chairman
of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru
Jega, has revealed the likely major challenge after next year’s polls.
Speaking at the public presentation of the Nigerian Media Code of
Election coverage held in Lagos on Wednesday, Jega one constraint that
could likely pose as a challenge in the aftermath of next years’
elections was the ambiguity inherent in some sections of the Electoral
Act.
However, the INEC boss stated that the issue was being amended in the National Assembly.
He said: “We have been urging the lawmakers in the National Assembly for a long time to quicken the process of correcting the contradictions in some sections of the Electoral Act. We will continue to appeal to them to speed up the process.”
The INEC boss also dismissed allegation making the rounds that there are plans to postpone next year’s general election.
In his words: “A lot of the information being spread about elections not holding next year are just rumours and nothing more.”
Jega also promised that the electoral body was prepared to conduct free and fair and transparent general elections in 2015.
“What I can guarantee you is that INEC as an electoral body is,
prepared to conduct the elections in every part of the country,” Jega
stated.
He added: “We have done a lot of training and retraining. We have a good working relationship with all the stakeholders. We have made arrangement for a better working condition for all INEC ad hoc staff, and have increased their remuneration.
“We have also prepared for security during the process, and have introduced what we call election management security tool.”
According to Jega, the tool which was first pioneered in Kenya, helps to assess security challenges ahead of the election and how such challenges can be mitigated.
While acknowledging confidence in the overall process taken by INEC to ensure a free, fair and transparent elections next year, Jega said what worries the commission was the conduct and disposition of politicians.
“No matter what INEC does, if key and critical stakeholders decide to undermine the electoral process, there is nothing we can do,” Jega said.
He charged charged traditional, religious and local leaders to be more actively engaged in their communities so as to pro-actively forestall those likely to foment trouble.
“Due to the conduct of our politicians who use election to divide based on ethnicity and religion, it becomes imperative that the media stakeholder report elections and the processes ethically and professionally.
“Also, all stakeholders must ensure that politicians play politics in decorum, and ensure that they do not use our young men in the conducts that are in defiance to existing laws and could derail the integrity of the process.”
However, the INEC boss stated that the issue was being amended in the National Assembly.
He said: “We have been urging the lawmakers in the National Assembly for a long time to quicken the process of correcting the contradictions in some sections of the Electoral Act. We will continue to appeal to them to speed up the process.”
The INEC boss also dismissed allegation making the rounds that there are plans to postpone next year’s general election.
INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega
Jega also promised that the electoral body was prepared to conduct free and fair and transparent general elections in 2015.
He added: “We have done a lot of training and retraining. We have a good working relationship with all the stakeholders. We have made arrangement for a better working condition for all INEC ad hoc staff, and have increased their remuneration.
“We have also prepared for security during the process, and have introduced what we call election management security tool.”
File photo of a voter casting her vote.
According to Jega, the tool which was first pioneered in Kenya, helps to assess security challenges ahead of the election and how such challenges can be mitigated.
While acknowledging confidence in the overall process taken by INEC to ensure a free, fair and transparent elections next year, Jega said what worries the commission was the conduct and disposition of politicians.
“No matter what INEC does, if key and critical stakeholders decide to undermine the electoral process, there is nothing we can do,” Jega said.
He charged charged traditional, religious and local leaders to be more actively engaged in their communities so as to pro-actively forestall those likely to foment trouble.
“Due to the conduct of our politicians who use election to divide based on ethnicity and religion, it becomes imperative that the media stakeholder report elections and the processes ethically and professionally.
“Also, all stakeholders must ensure that politicians play politics in decorum, and ensure that they do not use our young men in the conducts that are in defiance to existing laws and could derail the integrity of the process.”
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