2015 General Election: INEC Remains Undaunted Despite Security Challenges, Says Jega(THISDAY)

Senator Iroegbu , Chuks Okocha and Adedayo Akinwale The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said that it remained positive over the conducting of elections in all part of the country, despite the security challenges confronting the nation especially in the northern part of the country. The chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, said the commission remains positive and focused, believing that the security agencies would overcome the challenges and provide an enabling environment for the commission to deliver improved elections in 2015. Jega expressed this optimism when the United States Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights, Dr. Serah Sewall, led a delegation to the commission in Abuja. According to the INEC chairman, though the commission did not underestimate the security challenge facing the country, it remains positive that with the efforts of the government and the support of development partners, Nigeria should be able to substantially address the situation, thereby creating an environment that would be conducive for credible elections. He said the commission was working on the assumption that it would conduct elections in all parts of the country, saying: “We remain focused that as an Election Management Body (EMB), we will do our best relying on others, especially the security agencies to do their best in terms of protecting the voting environment and mitigating conflicts.” The INEC chairman disclosed that in spite clamours for the commission to deploy Card Readers to authenticate and verify Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the Ekiti and Osun States governorship elections scheduled for June 21 and August 9, respectively, the commission preferred to test the pilot Card Readers in several by-elections before the 2015 general election. He explained that the two governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States are fast approaching and would be hotly contested. The INEC chairman further explained that using Card Readers during the two elections could generate unwanted controversy. Prof. Jega said the many lessons learnt from elections conducted by the commission and other measures such as the re-organisation of the commission, the articulation of a strategic plan and an Election Project Plan had imbued the commission with the confidence that makes it imperative that INEC would technically and operationally, would deliver better elections in 2015. Jega explained that the commission had learnt its lessons from the formidable logistic challenges it faced in the conduct of the Anambra State governorship election in November last year and that it would ensure that it did not re-occur in the Ekiti and Osun States governorship elections. He said the commission had realised that the conduct of credible elections was a collective one, and as such, it had continued to engage with critical stakeholders in the electoral process. Jega explained that the commission had impressed it, particularly on the political parties to contribute to a culture of civility and decorum and to eschew intemperate language in their utterances. Those in Sewall’s delegation include the US Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle; Anna Cave, Senior Adviser; Steve Schwartz, African Bureau (West Africa) Office Director and Gregory Lawless, Political Counsellor. Meanwhile, ahead of 2015 general election, INEC has said it has started preparations to use classrooms as polling units in order to create a conducive environment for the elections. INEC’s Commissioner for Political Parties Monitoring, Hajia Amina Zakari, stated this in Abuja yesterday at a discussion programme on the inclusion of women, youths and other people in party activities organised by Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and International Republican Institute (IRS). While discussing on the platform, Amina disclosed that INEC inherited polling units that are not in organised manner for many years, stressing that despite the political nature of Nigeria, it was considering relocating the polling units to school premises. Shedding more light on it, she said: "We are working hard to obtain that, we have already start the ground work to identify the schools that are nearest to our polling units, the rest at the state level are identifying the alternate polling units, but we need a lot of advocacy, engagement with the stakeholders and education for people to understand that the better conducive environment the better an election, so, we are working hard towards 2015. "We all know what an election is in Nigeria, it is like big festivities without preparation, as long as INEC is trying to give order to the process, the communities are not helping matters." Amina noted that there was no where in the world where a separate polling unit is created for persons with disabilities, adding that what could only be done is to create enabling environment for people with disabilities to be able to vote, and to make it possible for them to be choose their leaders, stressing that INEC would ensure that whatever it takes, they are not excluded from the process. Reacting to the issue of early campaign embarked on by political parties, she said when any politician speaks, it doesn't necessary translate to campaigning, adding that there was a difference between campaign and mobilisation which involves holding rallies, "we are trying to demarcate those, bring out the guidelines." Also, the immediate past president of Joint National Association of Persons With Disabilities, Mr. Danlami Bashri, said one thing that has been missing was the criterion that should be in the registration which would capture disability and disability type as part of what should be in the form which INEC has been unable to do.