Many Nigerians have expressed
disappointment that the 2019 general election was postponed by the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) less than 10 hours to the commencement of
the voting process.
What about this? In 2011, voting
had actually started in some parts of the country when INEC announced that the
election had been moved by two days!
The national assembly elections
were scheduled for April 2, 2011 and had commenced smoothly in states such as
Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Delta, Zamfara and Enugu when Attahiru Jega, a professor
and INEC chairman, announced the postponement. Reason: late deployment of
electoral materials.
Four years later, Jega would move
the elections again, this time by six weeks following pressure from the
security chiefs who said they needed time to “diminish Boko Haram”.
We have gone into the
archives for the text of the address made by Jega on April 2, 2011 announcing
the shift in dates. This is reproduced below.
‘WHAT IS WORTH DOING IS WORTH
DOING WELL’
Dear Compatriots, since this
Commission started work in July 2010, I have repeatedly promised Nigerians that
in carrying out our duties we shall always be sincere and truthful with
Nigerians. I have always said that this INEC will be upfront with Nigerians,
telling you exactly how things are – sharing both our successes and
difficulties with you.
This is one such occasion.
Indeed, it is an emergency. As you know the National Assembly (House of
Representatives and Senate) elections are supposed to be taking place as I
speak. You would also have noticed that things have not proceeded smoothly as
expected with the elections. The reason for this is the unanticipated emergency
we have experienced with late arrival of result sheets in many parts of the
country. The result sheets are central to the elections and their integrity.
Accordingly, in many places, our officials have not reported at the polling units,
making it now difficult to implement the Modified Open Ballot Procedure that we
have adopted. Not only do we have to enter the results in the sheets, the
number of accredited voters is also to be entered in the result sheet. While we
could have proceeded with the elections in a few States of the country, where
all the materials are available, such as Lagos, Kaduna, Kebbi, Delta, Zamfara
and Enugu, among others, in order to maintain the integrity of the elections
and retain effective overall control of the process, the Commission has taken
the difficult but necessary decision to postpone the National Assembly
elections to Monday, April 4, 2011.
I appeal to all Nigerians for
their understanding in this difficult situation. We as a Commission appreciate
the profound sacrifice that you have all made not just in turning out today,
but also throughout this election season. We are greatly encouraged by you and
our appeal is that you remain steadfast in this last lap of this electoral
process in the interest of all Nigerians and in the cause of democracy.
The Commission will immediately
be contacting all political parties, as major stakeholders to explain the
situation. I appeal for their support in explaining the situation to their
members and supporters.
May I also appeal to all other
stakeholders, particularly national and international observers and our
development partners for continued understanding. I realize that they have
committed enormous resources to this process, especially in deploying observers
in the field. However, we think that what is worth doing is worth doing well.
Finally, while we deeply regret
this situation and apologise to Nigerians for the hardship this may have
created, I would like to reiterate that we are fully committed to conducting
free, fair and credible elections for Nigerians. The decision the Commission
has taken is weighty; but it is also a very important step in further ensuring
the credibility of the elections.
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