FEBRUARY POLLS: CHALLENGES WILL NOT DETER US –JEGA

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has reassured Nigerians that challenges experienced, especially in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) will not prevent the Commission from delivering free, fair and credible elections next month.

Professor Jega, gave the assurance at a meeting with leaders of Political Parties, at the Commission’s headquarters yesterday.

He said, “I want to use this opportunity to reassure all of you that hence we promised Nigerians we are working assiduously to ensure that we prepare adequately and that we conduct elections that are free, fair, credible and peaceful in 2015.”  He added that, “We believe that even though there maybe challenges, some of which are already been talked about, in the media and in the public, such as the challenges of the distribution of the Permanent Voters Cards, we feel confident that with the measures and mechanisms we have in place, that these challenges are challenges we can overcome and overcome them well in advance of the conduct of the 2015 general elections”.

The INEC Chairman called for calm and appealed for patience from Nigerians who experienced delay in the distribution of the PVCs, while urging them to “remain resolute in coming out to collect their PVCs.”  “We believe that the use of the PVCs will go a long way in improving the integrity of the electoral process, and will minimise, if it does not totally eliminate some of the persistent, fraudulent activities that have characterised our electoral process,” he added.

He  further gave the assurance that INEC will continue improving its relationship with political parties and other stakeholders in order to satisfy the aspiration of Nigerians for a smooth conduct of elections which are also free fair and peaceful.

In his response, the Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council, (IPAC), Dr. Tanko Yunusa, said IPAC strongly condemned the level of violence and lack of accommodation being shown by members of some political parties and campaigns that have been going on so far. “It is our strong view that every political party has the right to campaign in every part of the country without the fear of intimidation, total unrest, to ventilate the position of its own political party to canvass for votes from the electorates”, he said.

He called on the Federal Government to declare a public holiday, to enable all registered voters to go out and collect their PVCs. He argued that: “this would help to ensure solid democracy as we move along in our democratic quest.” The IPAC Chairman appealed to INEC to publicize statistics showing day-to-day distribution of PVCs. He reasoned that such publicity would go a long way to give Nigerians confidence that INEC is on the right track.