The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, on Tuesday bore out his mind on the 2015 General Elections. He says he is scared about the elections in its totality.
Jega, who spoke in Abuja at a national stakeholders’ forum on elections organised by the Civil Society Situation Room on Achieving the Implementation of Credible 2015 general elections, said he was bothered by heightening insecurity and the unruly attitude of politicians, which constitute major challenges to peaceful elections next year.
Jega pointed out that three troubled North-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe posed the greatest security threats to the success of the elections
“The attitude of the political class is the greatest challenge. They want to intimidate, harass and induce.
“Security is also a challenge. Especially in the three states in North-east. We can not put our men and resources at risk. But we are having an inter-agencies security meetings going on frequently,” Jega said.
He said investigation conducted by the commission showed that NYSC members who were compromised were threatened by politicians to either collect gratification or be killed.
Jega urged politicians to play by the rules of the game during the 2015 elections.
He said the commission has identified and blocked many of the loopholes exploited in the past by politicians to rig elections.
“I am confident that 2015 will be better operationally and logistically,” Jega said. He added that a better voters’ register has been produced and that all ballot boxes were being numbered serially. This, he said was not so when he was appointed in 2010.
He spoke of other efforts being made by INEC under his leadership.
“In 2010 when I was inaugurated as chairman of INEC, we discovered that there was abandonment of doing the basic things that allow election to be credible such as keeping voters’ register. A good register is fundamental to the success of an election,” the INEC boss said.
He said security remained a challenge even as he said all security agencies had come together to address this challenge.
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