Jega’s testing task at INEC
To the admiration of many Nigerians, Jega told senators that he was not for sale and nobody should think of bribing him to rig elections. He also prioritised the things he would do as INEC chairman to make the Commission an independent and credible institution capable of conducting elections that can be accepted by Nigerians […]
To the admiration of many Nigerians, Jega told senators that he was not for sale and nobody should think of bribing him to rig elections. He also prioritised the things he would do as INEC chairman to make the Commission an independent and credible institution capable of conducting elections that can be accepted by Nigerians and the international community, which included, compiling the voters register, stamping out corruption at the Commission and observing the rule of law in the discharge of his duties.
He insisted that the Commission will be reorganized for effectiveness and efficiency in the conduct of the 2011 election, emphasizing that security agencies were worthy partners in the conduct of a free and fair election. But the real tough task Jega has ahead of him is how to tame the desperation of politicians to win elections at all cost, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) known for using state apparatchik to rig elections.
Since INEC became a symbol of incredibility, corruption and shame under Professor Maurice Iwu, after receiving bashings from Nigerians and the international community for conducting the worst elections in 2007, Jega’s radical pedigree is needed to redeem the image of the Commission.
Considering his pedigree as a man who believes in radical transformation of institutions and the society, one is not sure if he would be able to conduct the kind of elections Nigerians have been yearning for, and which he has promised he would conduct, especially as he has limited time.
The task before Professor Jega includes that of providing a reliable voters register. The data capturing machines imported by Professor Iwu, we understand, are not functional, hence we find funny names in the current voter register. He has to register Nigerian voters over again. This is no mean task. Also, he must weed out corrupt officials at INEC. Many personnel in the electoral agency are serving same politicians, not Nigerians. This, again, is no mean task.
Already, Lagos lawyer and pro-democracy activist, Femi Falana, has alleged that 35 out of the 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners appointed by the president are PDP members, stressing that Nigerians should not be deceived by the appointment of Jega as he will not be allowed to perform his responsibilities unbiased.
Interestingly, Jega is the first northerner ever appointed to head an electoral body and conduct general elections in Nigeria. In the past, we have had Mr. Eyo Esua (1964-1966), Chief Michael Ani (1976-1979), Justice Victor Ovie-Whisky (1980-1983), Professor Humphrey Nwosu (1989-1993), Professor Okon Edet Uya (1993), Chief Sumna Dagogo-Jack (1994-1998), Dr. Ephraim Akpata (1998-2000), Dr. Abel Guobadia (2000-2005) and Professor Maurice Iwu (2005-2010), all from the south.
It then remains to be seen how significant it is to Jega and Nigerians in organizing “the freest, fairest, and most credible elections ever in the history of Nigeria, bearing in mind the political pressure he will be under.For most people, this is a time to differentiate between campus radicalism and the reality of the absurd Nigerian politics.