2015 Elections: Electoral Commission To Overhaul Staff

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria says it will conduct a total overhaul of its staff in order to re-position it for the conduct of transparent, free and fair election in 2015.

At a four day retreat held in Kaduna on Tuesday organised for the Commission’s National Commissioners and Resident Electoral Commissioners, the head of the commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, said that the commission was looking forward to a likely amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act before the election.

He also ruled out electronic voting in 2015, as the system is prohibited by the country’s constitution.

Professor Jega explained that the overhaul was imperative to enable the commission maintained its integrity and earn the confidence of Nigerians in the forthcoming 2015 elections.

Deliberations at the retreat was centred on the theme; “Preparations, Plans and Challenges Towards 2015″.

The INEC chairman said that the need to review the existing Electoral Act was borne out of the desire to give the commission a legal frame work that would enable it conduct a better election in the future.

“The commission has sent its recommendation on the amendment to the National Assembly ahead of the 2015 polls,” he said.

Nigerians have witnessed several election irregularities since the inception of the present democratic dispensation in 1999, but Professor Jega said that the retreat would afford the commission the opportunity to further review some of the challenges it encountered in previous elections especially the recent governorship election in Anambra state that was marred with alleged irregularities.

The electoral commission accepted responsibility for the irregularities experienced in the Anambra governorship election, but said they were not enough to lead to a total conciliation of the election as demanded by some political parties.

The outcome of the Anambra election further created fear among the electorate on whether INEC would be able to handle a credible election as the nation moves into an election year in 2015.

With 11 months to the 2015 elections, the INEC boss is optimistic of conducting a free and fair poll.

He reminded the staff and other principal officers of the commission that all eyes were on them to deliver on their promises of giving Nigerians credible and transparent election in 2015.

Professor Jega urged them to work hard and requested that Nigerians should give the commission a benefit of doubt of conducting credible elections despite the shortcomings so far witnessed.