ABUJA — CHAIRMAN of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday, said the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections proved doomsday predictions wrong.
He also attributed much of the problems faced by the commission during the elections to attitude of the political class, unsettled legal framework and apathy among the electorate.
Jega, who made the comment when he received a delegation led by Mexican Ambassador to Nigeria, Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco, in his office in Abuja, insisted that some predictions, especially in some western media, suggesting that the outcome of the elections might lead to the end of the country had proven to be false due to the generally free, fair, credible and peaceful conduct of the elections.
He said: “We are, indeed, very happy that our elections turned out to be well and to have been recognized both nationally and internationally as free, fair, credible and also peaceful.
“Leading to the election, some impressions had been created, particularly in the international media as if this may be the end of our country. Thank God it was doomsday prediction which turned out to be false.”
Better than 2011 elections
Jega, who was delighted by the offer to share experiences with other countries, explained that though the 2015 elections were not perfect, they were much better than 2011 and admitted that there was room for improvement.
The INEC chairman said: “We know that the election has not been perfect; we know that it was better than 2011, but there is also a lot of scope for improvement and that is why we welcome every opportunity to visit other countries and to see how they do their own elections and to be able to exchange ideas and to also learn good practices which we can continue to adapt to our own circumstances for continuous improvement of our own electoral process.”
He appreciated the efforts of the Mexican Embassy in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between both countries in sharing electoral experiences and urged that such bilateral relationship be extended to other sectors.
“You facilitated the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding which has been very useful, many of our staff have benefited by participation in some conferences. All these experiences have been useful and beneficial and we cherish the opportunity,” he said.
Earlier in his remark, Ambassador Marco Antonio Garcia Blanco had said his mission to the commission was to transmit congratulatory message for a great job the commission did in the last electoral process.
He said everybody recognized the key role played by the commission in the successes achieved in the electoral process.
He called on the leadership of INEC to share experience with his country which, according to him, is very important in improving the electoral process in Mexico.
“Your expertise, knowledge and wisdom will be a great asset to our electoral body. With experience sharing, Mexico will benefit a lot,” he said.
Blanco advocated continuous strengthening of existing bilateral relationship between both countries
Meanwhile, Jega attributed much of the challenges the commission faced during the last elections to attitude of political class, unsettled legal framework, apathy among electorate.
Other factors highlighted by the INEC chairman include insecurity, technological challenges with the card reader, vendor issues, inadequate voter education as well as poverty.
Electoral Offences Commission
Jega, who confidently said the institutions of democracy were gradually gaining ground in Nigeria, called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission, as part of efforts to step-up performance in the future.
He spoke at the 8th national development summit of traditional rulers with the theme, ‘Consolidating Nigeria’s Peace and Unity in Democratic Advancement,’ in Abuja.
Represented by one of his commissioners, Dr Israel Igbani, Jega noted that the commission concentrated on three focal points, namely structure, policy and plans, to ensure a successful conduct of the elections.
“Guided by the lessons learnt from 2011, in our preparation for the 2015 elections, INEC concentrated on three focal points, namely: Structure, Policy and Plans,” he said.
Challenges
He further explained that the commission in carrying out its responsibility, was confronted with numerous challenges such as insecurity which necessitated the shift in the dates of the elections from February 14 to March 28 and April 11 for the Presidential and National Assembly and Governorship and State Assembly respectively.
According to him, the extension allowed security forces to regain some areas lost to terrorists.
“As a result, the elections were held under relatively peaceful conditions, notwithstanding scattered pockets of violence and intimidation in a few areas,” he said.
He noted that the attitude of the political class in Nigeria had always presented a great challenge to every electoral management body in the country, saying with the winner takes all syndrome came a high level of desperation to capture power by all means necessary.
He also noted that hate speeches and campaigns were rampant during the electioneering period.
Jega further noted that it was so unfortunate that the commission pursuit electoral reform, but lamented that “this could not be accomplished before the elections.”
He added that apathy among the electorate, particularly concerning the collection of the Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs, could not be overlooked.
He said: “In spite of the concern of some citizens about the smart card reader, its yielded remarkable result though not without some initial hitches as is common with new technologies.
“Also, some of the vendors from whom electoral materials were purchased did not live up to their contractual obligations and could not cope with the commission’s tight deadlines.
“Diverse languages barriers, culture and tradition also posed major challenges to the delivery of voter education/ enlightenment.
“The difficult economic situation (poverty) in our society was manipulated by politicians to easily mobilize some youth for reckless political foot soldering.”
To address these challenges, INEC boss said political parties must imbibe the principle of internal democracy to complement efforts of the commission, while calling for the creation of Electoral Offences Commission to apprehend, investigate and prosecute offenders.
He said: “The commission is moving into the next phase of careful, strategic planning and preparation for future elections. To improve our electoral process, INEC and stakeholders will have to ensure the followings; Continuous voters’ registration procedures must be put in place and sustained.
“Distribution of PVCs should be carried out more regularly, efficiently and effectively. The process and timing of recruitment and training of ad-hoc staff must be reviewed.
“Voter education and enlightenment must be stepped up to further reduce to its barest minimum the issues of voter apathy, violence and electoral offences.”
Chairman of the Summit Governing Council, the Abe 1, Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Emmanuel Sideso, called on the President-elect, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, to ensure the constitutional empowerment of traditional rulers.
He said: “It is our hope that soon after your assumption of office, constitutional empowerment of traditional rulers shall be achieved, against many years of feet dragging on the matter.
‘’We also want to re-echo the call for the appointment of a Special Adviser to the President on chieftaincy affairs, to enhance grassroots governance.”
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