Questions about Jega’s INEC

He was a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee estab-lished by President Umaru Musa Yar’adua and was appointed chairman of the powerful Independent National Electoral Commis-sion (INEC) by President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2010 amidst high expectations that the new government was truly interested in finding new modalities for conducting free and fair elections. Professor […]

He was a member of the Electoral Reforms Committee estab-lished by President Umaru Musa Yar’adua and was appointed chairman of the powerful Independent National Electoral Commis-sion (INEC) by President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2010 amidst high expectations that the new government was truly interested in finding new modalities for conducting free and fair elections. Professor Jega’s appointment also came on the heels of fraudulent elections organised by his predecessor, Professor Maurice Iwu, and the fraud was confirmed by no less than late President Umaru Yar’adua himself.
Observing Attahiru Jega these days leaves one in doubt about whether the bitter lessons of the 2007 and 2011 elections have been learnt. A few of his actions and statements have actually raised eyebrows. The Anambra governorship election and its results do not inspire confidence. The election was untidy and the conspiracy by one of the election officials inside the opposition’s stronghold raises several questions. It took a long time to even identify this electoral official reported to have “messed up” the elections by deliberately mixing up electoral materials, particularly in Idemili, the stronghold of the opposition governorship candidate. This is despite the fact that over a dozen Resident Electoral Commissioners went to Anambra to supervise that election. Regrettably, every time an army of electoral commissioners went to supervise an election, the ruling party had triumphed. This shameful saga must end and Jega should do a lot more house cleaning in INEC.
Moreover, Professor Jega’s recent warning that elections would not be conducted in the North Eastern part of the country owing to the so-called Boko Haram violence is suspect. Likewise, his submission that he would rely on security reports to ascertain whether elections could be held in the Adamawa, Bornu and Yobe States in 2015 has unsettled Nigerians. This is because Nigerian security officials are increasingly becoming partial and in favour of the ruling party. A few of them, in contravention of their oath of allegiance, think that their mandate is to actively support the current regime and help it retain power. Clearly, however, Bornu and Yobe, and increasingly Adamawa, are solidly opposed to the ruling party and how elections are conducted there is of considerable interest to the rest of the country.
People’s doubts about the independence of INEC and the suspicion that Jega is in cahoots with the Jonathan government have further been accentuated by his so-called elections timetable. It is still unclear why INEC wants to start with presidential elections; but analysts believe that this whole arrangement may be a concession to the current regime to help itself. A better table should have provided for governorship and state assembly elections first, so as to renew those structures ahead of the combustible presidential vote.
Jega’s defence of his election timetable as something that conforms to global best practices is far-fetched in a country where neither the electoral body nor the bigger electoral environment operates a global standard. In some parts of the country, ballot boxes and papers are snatched with the connivance of the same officials upon whom Jega relies for security reports. My hunch is that this government has made an elaborate arrangement to steal the election and, by bringing forward the presidential ballot, Jega appears to be actively assisting them. There is nothing urgent about the presidential election.  If the presidential ballot is held first, and Jonathan wins, he is likely to intimidate others and interfere with the remaining elections. It’s not too late for INEC to reverse the timetable.
Ahead of the 2007 elections, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Professor Maurice Iwu held members of the National Council on State spellbound with sweetener explanations on how the polls would be perfectly conducted. But the rogue process and the phony results left the whole country disappointed. Lately, Jega is beating the same path with his card reader, the magic device that will check multiple voting. But then the same criminals who snatch election materials will steal the card reader and return to vote repeatedly.
Professor Jega would do well to apply himself to some more practical ways of ensuring the integrity of the 2015 elections. First, he should restore confidence in INEC by conducting free and fair elections in Ekiti and Osun states later this year. Once INEC doesn’t get these elections right, then nobody will take them seriously if they say they want to hold any other ballot anywhere. Secondly, the INEC chairman should step up advocacy for the establishment of electoral offences commission/tribunal to try persons who sabotage or steal our elections. For as long as people get away with serious electoral offences that distort the results of our elections,  the citizens will continue to doubt the integrity of the process and the fairness of those who drive it.  Recall, the INEC chairman had abandoned the commitment he had hitherto made to prosecute those who had double registration. Why did he change his mind? Has the chairman discovered some sacred cows among those with double registration that he cannot prosecute?
President Jonathan no longer assures anyone of free and fair elections. Indeed, he never mentioned free and fair elections in his most recent important broadcast, the centenary address. Before our very eyes, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has already started its 2015 election campaigns in violation of the existing electoral law. So far they have conducted election campaigns in Ilorin, Kaduna, Minna, Owerri, etc, with President Jonathan’s posters and billboards on display, in their desperation to retain political power.  Can Jega sanction them? Will Professor Jega’s INEC be devoting its work chiefly to the goal of returning Jonathan for another term in office?
In order not to tread the road to infamy, Jega’s INEC needs to handle the process of the 2015 vote extremely carefully and with commitment to a level playing field and impartiality.