Why Nigeria Can’t Have Elections In One Day – Jega

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, yesterday in Lagos, may have put paid to agitations for the same day 2015 polls, saying this is difficult with the current prevailing situation in the country.

Jega said without doubt, having all elections, including presidential, governorship, national and state assemblies’ polls same day, is the hallmark and defining character of mature democracies in the world, but insisted that Nigeria is not yet at that level.

The INEC chairman, who spoke in Lagos at an interactive session with editors and media executives, explained that for this to happen, the country needs to clear all the apparent challenges and obstacles in its electoral process which continue to hinder organising its elections in one day.

"It is a good thing to do as in mature democracies. But quite frankly, we are not there yet. We have to clear all the challenges, so that we can do elections in one day," he stressed, adding that, "Kenya, a small country compared to Nigeria, if they had the opportunity, they would not have done their elections in one day."

Specifically, he said: "one-day elections have challenges regarding deployment of materials, enormouslogistics; because all materials must be moved at the same time. We would be insincere if we go all the route of having elections in one day."

However, he said although “there are systemic challenges, we cannot continue to give excuses. We must be trying to surmount the challenges.

Consequently, he said INEC decided that for the 2015 General Elections, “let us do it in two days. We, therefore, reviewed the sequence ofelections. We tried to be rational, logical and scientific in fixing the days of the elections".

Jega, who stated that with the benefit of hindsight, the commission has learnt a lot from the experience of the Anambra governorship polls, which would be impactful and relevant for the Ekiti and Osun states’ governorship elections for which electronic voter’s cards are already being distributed.

Highlighting specific measures already taken by the commission, the INEC chairman said: "In elections all over the world, ballot papers are serially numbered. Since 2011, we have ensured that all ballot papers are not only serially numbered, but also polling units. We have also ensured that result sheets are serially numbered. From Edo to Ondo governorship polls, we have customised our result sheets."

"Since 2011, we have also colour-coded our result sheets. So, you cannot take result sheets meant for one place to another. We colour-coded by states and by local governments; we even want to colour-code by constituencies."

He further explained that there are "other unique features which are not known to all people; some even to only the INEC chairman".

On personnel for elections, he said INEC has continued to involve the universities through the names generated by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

"This process has served us well. It was done in 2011, and Edo and Ondo states. We believe this is good and we would retain it. The ASUU generates the names of these lecturers for us," he said.

Jega, who revealed that the commission was considering involving other professional bodies such accountants and medical doctors through their professional bodies, stated that the use of National Youth Service Corps members for election process has also been immensely advantageous, despite the hazards which came with it.

And in restructuring INEC, he said the commission took a bold step to hire a consulting firm to properly assess its operations. At the end of the review, INEC was said to have been restructured, with the evolvement of a proper reward and punishment system without inflicting on the inherent civil service rules to deal with personnel.

"Also, we have embarked on training and retraining of our ad hoc staff. Instead of the hitherto three days training for our temporary staff, we will give them five days training for the Ekiti and Osun states polls," he revealed, while acknowledging the contributions of INEC development partners, especially with regard to training.

The commission chairman, who affirmed that he has great hopes the 2015 will be better, dismissed those who continued to say he is putting his credibility on the line regarding the INEC job.

"I am an incurable optimist about the country. What is credibility if it cannot be tested? So, I am doing just that. I am happy no one has asked me to do anything wrong which will put me in some difficulty. I am lucky,” he said.

But he added that he has his concerns.
"We are concerned about what politicians do and say, because all these have impact on the electoral process. So, we appeal to politicians not to be reckless in their utterances and not to bridge the electoral process," he said.

He explained that: "For example, we now have posters in some states for the 2015 elections. This is wrong. We have to keep imploring our politicians and parties to keep to the rule of the game."

On campaign ahead of time, all parties are guilty.

"We have warned them and drawn their attention to this. The law is 90 days to election. Parties are now holding rallies."

He, however, said although there is need to separate and navigate these timelines, once you say ‘vote for me’ before 90 days, you are guilty and all parties are guilty of this."

The INEC boss said it is also regrettable that politicians do not have gallantry in winning or losing.

"We must keep urging our politicians to obey the rules and be civil."

Also, Jega said that currently political parties lack capacity to put competent agents at every polling unit.

"So, if you don’t have information from the polling units, how do you prove any infringement? Political parties should have credible, trained agents at polling units. Over the years, we have been asking political parties to bring their agents for training, no party has brought anyone for training," he said.

Professor Jega, who said he remained hopeful that elections would hold everywhere in Nigeria, including the North East, said the commission has asked the National Assembly to amend the Electoral Act, without which there cannot be electronic voting in the country.