Incumbents should resign before election, says Maitama Sule
AS the general elections draw nearer, Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday said the commission was ready for the challenges of conducting a free and fair polling exercise.
Jega, who spoke at the consultative dialogue of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on the state of preparedness for the April elections held in Abuja, also announced a ban on the movement of all persons, including Very Important Persons (VIPs) during the polls.
Meanwhile, First Republic Minister, Yusuf Maitama Sule has suggested that incumbent office holders should resign six months before elections in order to have credible polls in the country.
Sule, who made this submission yesterday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital at a forum organised by the Mustapha Akanbi Foundation (MAF), argued that interim administrations should be put in place to conduct elections in the country after the resignation of the incumbents.
Jega also frowned at the various ex-parte orders emerging from several courts across the country, saying that these had been hindering the smooth running of the commission.
INEC, he disclosed, will today start the training of ad hoc staff for the polls.
Jega said: “For INEC, I can say categorically and convincingly that we are ready for the election, the question should be, are the lawyers and politicians ready?
“One of the most challenging periods we have so far is the nomination process but thank God it is over now and we have sent the nomination list to various states.
“We have been getting disturbing reports that some incumbent governors don’t allow other parties to campaign in their states, that billboards of opposition parties were being destroyed, that there is a high level of thuggery and that the opposition parties are not allowed to campaign through the state media.
“This is very bad and we have written to the Nigerian Broadcast Commission (NBC) to look into it and act accordingly”.
“The process is very challenging because of the reckless grant of ex-parte order. We try to be very consistent in obeying the order but this does not create sanity in the process, judges need to exercise caution in granting such orders because most of the orders we receive come from the same court and judge.”
Jega disclosed that sensitive polling materials such ballot papers were currently being printed and that vehicles and speedboats had been acquired for the election.
On movement during the election, the INEC chief stated: “Nobody will be given the opportunity to move around in the guise of monitoring election particularly, governors, local government chairmen and party chairmen. The only people that will be allowed to move round are the accredited INEC officials and the observers.”
Chairman of the NBA event and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubabakar noted: “From my experience, having had to successfully midwife a transition from military administration to civilian democratic rule in 1999, I can assuredly say that the task ahead though herculean and complex is achievable. Some have argued that that Nigeria of today is far more complicated than Nigeria of 12 years ago but that is not a debate to address at this point in time.
“Nigerians therefore deserve, at the very least, a legitimate Government that will address pressing perennial problems of Power, Security, Health, Education and a revamping of the economy. We cannot afford to squander this opportunity.
“Democracy may not be perfect but it is still the best system of governance in that it guarantees participation of the entire population through its elected representatives in the running of the affairs of the nation. Nigeria has a great future and it is our responsibility to conduct ourselves in a manner that is not inimical to our destiny”.
In his opening address, NBA President, Joe Daudu (SAN) urged politicians to discourage violence at the polls and ensure that every vote counts.
“The political class must enter into a political contract with one another, pledging in the overall interest of the unity of this country to eschew violence in the conduct of the elections”, he stated.
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