Barely two weeks to the general elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has concretely assured Nigerians and the entire world that the commission will meet the yearning and aspiration of Nigerians for free, fair, credible and transparent elections.
Jega’s assurance on Wednesday came on a day some youths, under the aegis of the Middle Belt Concerned Youths, staged a peaceful protest at the headquarters of INEC in Abuja against the use of Permanent Voter Cards and the Card Readers for the elections.
The INEC Chairman gave the assurance at a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners to review preparations for the forthcoming elections.
He promised that the meeting would examine the gaps and other things to do in the next few weeks.
According to him: “The commission is doing its best to ensure free fair and credible polls.”
Wednesday’s meeting came barely 24 hours after INEC declared its satisfaction over the outcome of the field test of the card readers last Saturday in 12 states.
Jega explained that the meeting was to have a final review for the preparation of the elections.
He stressed further that the meeting would review outstanding matters relating to the distribution of the PVC and the mock demonstration of card reader.
The INEC chairman said: “Our best will be good enough in terms of meeting the aspirations of Nigerians for free, fair elections.”
He said the commission needs to do everything possible to ensure near perfection and get the support of all stakeholders.
The commission, he assured Nigerians, will engage elections process within the legal frame work and the laid down code of conduct.
Jega therefore charged candidates to respect the peace accord signed both at the presidential election and state levels.
He underscored the need to ensure peaceful elections, saying it will promote stability and development for the country.
Meanwhile, the youths, who stormed INEC’s vicinity around 10.14am, were prevented by armed policemen and other security agents who cordoned the INEC office.
Though the security personnel prevented the protesters from accessing the entrance of INEC, they were received by the Assistant Director in charge of Security, Victor Egbo, who received their protest letter with a promise to deliver same to the commission’s chairman.
The youths explained that they were at INEC to register their grievances against the use of the PVCs and Card Readers because of what they said were the failures recorded during the recent mock exercise of the conducted last Saturday by INEC.
The leader of the group, Comrade Yunusa Yusuf, said: ”Judging from what transpired during the exercise, it has been proven that batteries of these Card Readers do not function for more than three hours.
“The question therefore is: what happens if the battery fails during the election proper, especially in the rural areas?”
Yusuf alleged that the All Progressives Congress and INEC plan to rig the forthcoming elections.
He said the claims of APC’s supporters in Kano and Lagos States that the machines are working are mere cover-up.
According to him: “For the simple fact that APC and INEC are on the same page on the use of PVCs and Card Readers speak volumes about their plans to rig the forthcoming polls, which all right-thinking and well-meaning Nigerians must resist with vigour.
“If the All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Kano and Lagos States claimed that the electronic machines did not fail during the mock exercise in their states, they are simply playing to the gallery.
It is a cover-up and a far cry from the ugly reality starring everybody in the face.
“Inasmuch as we appreciate the steadfastness and enormous innovations institutionalised by INEC to bequeath free and fair elections to the nation, it is still the contention of majority of Nigerians that such efforts must not be sacrificed on the altar of a fool-hardy insistence of proceeding with the use of PVCs, despite the glaring imperfections inherent in them.
“Insisting on using them for the elections will only end up disenfranchising a huge segment of Nigeria’s voting population.
“We frown at this orchestrated plot to disenfranchise a high preponderance of eligible Nigerian voters by INEC as epitomized in its determination to go ahead with the use of PVCs and Card Readers regardless of the genuine concerns expressed by relevant stakeholders in the polity, a development that is likely to compromise the integrity of the elections.”
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