2011: Technical reasons we want extension – INEC

By By Chioma Gabriel & Clifford Ndujihe
GOING by current arrangements, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, cannot conduct voters’ registration until late November or early December, Saturday Vanguard can authoritatively report.

Since it is practically impossible to conclude voters’ registration in time given loss of time, the INEC has no option than to ask for postponement, the source explained.

Going into details of what the commission had done so far with regards to procurement of materials needed for voters’ compilation , the source said, “the Bureau of Public Procurement has approved the procurement of the materials.

The Federal Executive Council, FEC has also approved it. Contract with the suppliers has to be signed and letter of credit has got to be funded. The landing date for the letter of credit is 28 days from the date of confirmation.”The source continued: “The Minister of Finance and Customs are privy to the arrangement and are ready to help.

The Finance Minister is to help with release of funds and the Customs are to ensure speedy clearance of the materials. The letter of credit will not be ready until next week. The corresponding foreign bank will then confirm and time will start running from then. And that will cost us 28 days.

“Although, different items, which form the package: camera, fingerprints and boxes and software interface are being done in Abuja, we will face other technical issues such as deploying materials to the six geo-political zones, and training of ad-hoc staff on the use of the machines, which will commence when the machines arrive.

“When you put all these into consideration,” the source said the surest way out was postponement of the polls to March/April next year so that the INEC would have ample time to do a tidy job.

Speaking on the issue, Prof. Godswill Iheanyichukwu Nnaji, Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC and National Chairman, Better Nigeria Progressive Party, BNPP, urged President Jonathan and the National Assembly to grant INEC time extension because it was near-impossible for INEC to accomplish all that are slated for the 2011 elections within the next three months (October to January). He said:

“Prof. Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of INEC, has realistically repeatedly and consistently complained that time schedule is the greatest challenge facing the commission in its task of compiling a voters register and conducting a free, fair and credible elections in 2011.

Patriotic Nigerians, political parties and civil society groups should unite their efforts and call on the National Assembly and the President to shift the elections to April 2011 in order to address the challenge, which INEC has rigorously identified.“During a consultative meeting with political parties in August, the INEC boss bluntly said that more time would be needed to do a better job of compiling a 70 million voters’ register and conducting credible 2011 elections.

He told the elite members of the prestigious NiPSS that if the Commission had more time at its disposal, it would do a marvelous job in the conduct of the 2011 elections.
Source:Today's Vanguard Paper.

Good luck (no pun intended!) to INEC!

I pray Jega will not fail Nigeria,It will be catastrophic if he does,after all this concessions.

Jega should be giving the chance,so that he will not blame his inability on the system.