… Says Anambra, Delta Central Elections Flawed
BEVERLY HILLS, CA, November 28, (THEWILL) – The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday assured that the commission would conduct a hitch-free general elections in 2015.
Jega gave the assurance while speaking at a dialogue with the Nigeria Civil Society Election Situation Room, in Abuja as he admitted that the Delta Central Senatorial election and the November 16 Anambra Governorship elections were flawed.
Jega however maintained that what transpired during the Delta Central Senatorial and the Anambra elections were reversal of some of the gains already recorded in the 2011 general elections.
“Anambra is an election we fully prepared for. We worked more than we had ever done in any state. Regrettably however, what we saw was evidence of reversal in Delta and Anambra. We are disappointed with the reversals.
“But we are not leaving any stone un-turned at unraveling what actually transpired. We will investigate Anambra thouroughly and meticulously. We will do a thorough enquiry in Anambra. We can not afford to lose hope. We will do better in the future,” he said.
He said what the Electoral Officer in Idemili did was beyond lack of competence and that that was why the commission handed him over to the police as he said that it was not impossible to rule out connivance between INEC officials and political parties.
He however said that every allegations of improper conduct would be investigated as he challenged political parties and individuals calling for outright cancellation of the election to come forward and substantiate their allegations.
Jega who insisted that the supplementary elections scheduled for Saturday would go on as planned said INEC has reviewed the situation in Anambra and the relevant laws and had come to a conclusion that the supplementary elections must go on.
He thanked Nigerians for their support and assured them the commission would not betray the confident reposed on it by the people.
He said even though a staff of the commission might have been compromised, the integrity of the commission remained intact.
“In Anambra, there is a clear evidence of operational lapses, we can explain these but they are inexcusable. We have to do a thorough investigation and identify the people culpable. We will take administrative steps to punish them and also hand over the suspects to the police, “he said.
He admitted that there are challenges but assured hat the commission was poised to surmount the challenges.
Jega said before the 2015 poll, a continuous voters registration would take place in all states to ensure that those who had attained the voting age were not deprived of their rights as he assured that INEC would perform better in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections. would be better organised.
