Professor Attahiru Jega of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday, assured the nation that there would be no further postponement of the general election, saying the elections will hold as scheduled on March 28 and April 11. Professor Jega gave the assurance in Abuja, on Wednesday, while speaking at an interactive session with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of over 60 civil society organisations, adding that the commission was fully prepared for the exercise.
He disclosed that already, 11 states had, so far, achieved over 90 per cent permanent voter card (PVC) collection, while others had also been impressive.
According to him, the commission had put to good use, the six-week extension of the polls, adding that “we are now adequately ready for the elections, which have been rescheduled to March 28 and April 11.
“I want to say that I’ve not seen any indication from anywhere that there is a desire for another postponement of this election. So, we are all focused on March 28 and April 11.”
Jega said “soon after we announced the rescheduling of the elections, the commission met and decided on how best to utilise the period of extension for six weeks. We decided that the first thing to do was to do a field assessment.”
He warned that if card readers were to be stolen in polling units, that would make the results from that unit null and void. According to him, “if people snatch card readers, it is sufficient grounds to cancel elections in those places.”
The INEC boss stressed the need for politicians to conduct themselves on the election days, saying that “politicians have no business moving around during elections.”
He also revealed that in the mock elections conducted across selected 12 states of the federation, “no card reader failed except in Ebonyi, where the situation had been brought under control.”
On the liberated towns recaptured from Boko Haram and the possibility of conducting elections in those places, he said “we have received assurances from the security agencies that they are doing everything possible to provide security.
“We are pleased with the reports that there has been remarkable improvement of security in the areas of insurgency and we understand that there are only three local governments in Borno State that have not been totally cleared of the insurgency. “We also know that the insurgents are very desperate and a lot of bombings and using incendiary devices have been happening, though in isolated places. We are working closely with security agencies to ensure that measures are in place to check this and ensure that they do not disrupt the electoral process.”
On internally displaced persons voting at the polls, he said “we have plans to arrange voting for IDPs; the plans are still on the ground. We have said that in areas where people have moved back and it is confirmed that it is safe, then it is better for us to go back to the polling units there and organise the elections.”
According to Jega, “we have tasked our Resident Electoral Commissioners to make that assessment. But we know that in many cases, IDPs are not going back. So, if there are people in IDP camps and they are not going back, we will do the elections as we have planned in the designated places for the IDPs.”
He allayed the fears expressed in some quarters that those whose fingerprints were not captured would be disenfranchised, despite having PVCs, saying “anyone who has registered and has PVC will be allowed to vote.”
Earlier, the Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, Mr Clement Nwankwo, had said civil societies were in support of the commission in conducting credible polls.
Credit: www.cknnigeria.com/
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