Jega: I can’t guarantee polls’ll hold on March 28

The Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission, Prof
Attahiru Jega, on Wednesday,
reiterated his preparedness to
conduct the general elections as
scheduled but maintained that only
the military could guarantee the
sanctity of the March 28 and April 11
dates. Jega, who
appeared before the Senate to
explain the level of INEC’s
preparedness for the elections,
however, stunned many of the
lawmakers when he revealed that
one million Permanent Voter Cards
had yet to be received by the
commission from the
manufacturers.
The Senators had thoroughly
grilled him after he made about
three-hour presentation and
demonstrated how the card
readers work.
Responding to a question by the
Minority Leader, Senator George
Akume, to give a clear assurance on
the dates, Jega replied, “I think it is
a very difficult question to answer.
“I have said consistently that there
are things under the control of
electoral commission and there are
things that are not under the
control of electoral commission. For
things that are under our control, I
can give definite and categorical
assurances.
“On what is not under our control, it
is futile, it is fruitless and useless to
give a definite guarantee on them.
I think that question should be
directed appropriately. The
questions of security, I will leave it,
I don’t think I am competent to
answer it sufficiently.”
Asked how he would respond if the
security agencies requested a
further delay, Jega said doing so
would be illegal.
He then made reference to a
constitutional provision that
requires elections to be concluded
at least 30 days before May 29,
when a new government must be
sworn in.
“Every Nigerian knows we want
elections to hold… within a
constitutional time frame. The
security agencies are (made up of)
patriotic Nigerians. Let’s give them
the benefit of the doubt,” he told
the senators.
He added, “We should be fair also
to the military. Soldiers are also
patriotic Nigerians. I don’t see
how anybody will contemplate any
extension beyond these six weeks.
“There is no constitutional grounds
upon which you can do that. For us,
we work by the constitution, by the
law . That is what is guiding us and
we should all put the interest of
the nation at heart.
“The human factor is always
significant, it is always important
but we believe that working
together with security and other
stakeholders, we should be able to
prevent negative human
intervention that can create
problems.
“I kept saying consistently that INEC
is not a security organisation. We
are an election management body;
so we rely a lot on security to be
able to ensure that things are done
well and that there is no disruption
of the electoral process.
“We have been working very
closely with the inter agencies
consultative committee on election
security and that is why for us, if the
service chiefs say that we can’t
guarantee security, give us more
time, what is the alternative
security arrangements ?
“If we consulted with the
stakeholders and we cannot find an
answer, what happens? We are
going to use close to 700, 000 ad
hoc staff. We can’t send people to
the field in that kind of a situation.
“Our prayer is that in the next six
weeks, there will be significant
improvement in the security
situation for us to hold the
elections all over this country in a
very secure environment.
“There are certain questions that
we are not really competent to
answer. Certain questions should
be directed to the military; they
can answer them better.”
The INEC boss expressed
confidence in the effectiveness of
the card readers, stressing that
their use for accreditation during
the elections would not contravene
any provision either in the
electoral act or in the constitution.
He also said that anyone who
clones and tries to prevent the use
of the card readers would be
treated as a criminal.
Jega said, “We have done the
functionality and durability tests on
the card readers with a local
partner, with their technical
partner in Texas in the United
States. There were 13 specific tests
that were done about their
functionality, durability and
versatility. The card readers
passed all the tests.
“We have done some few tests and
the result we have is about 90 per
cent successful. We feel
comfortable that the card readers
can be used. They will add value to
the electoral process.
“It cannot be 100 per cent perfect. It
may not be able to read every
finger and that is why we agree
with political parties. We bought
182, 000 card readers. Some of them
did not work.
“Of the total number of card
readers that we ordered and
configured, only 503 had failed to
work. That is 0.03 per cent of the
total. The agreement is that if a
card reader fails during
accreditation, then, we will try and
repair it within the time of
accreditation which is between
8am and 1pm.
“If a card reader fails around 10am ,
before 1pm, we will do everything
possible to replace it but if we are
unable to do so, the time lost will
be added to the accreditation
period and extended.”
On the high rate of PVC collection
in three states under emergency
rule in the North-East, Jega
wondered why Nigerians were
heaping the blame on INEC.
He said, “Why should anyone blame
INEC for that? There is a need for us
to have clarity on this matter. In
Yobe State, only two local
government areas are under
emergency rule and the state is
among the second phase in the
distribution of the PVCs.
“In the state and about 11 others,
we distributed cards as far back as
July 2014. So if the rate of collection
is very high, I don’t see why that
should be seen as a problem. In
Adamawa State, only four LGAs are
inaccessible and we deviced a
system where PVCs were
distributed to Internally Displaced
Persons.
“So, as many as had been displaced
but who had registered have been
able to collect their cards. But when
you look at the way newspapers do
their analysis, they tend to project
it as if there is regional slant in the
distribution of the cards.
“When we designed the
distribution of cards, we did it in
such a manner that we took two
states each from each geo –
political zone to make a phase and
we did it in three phases just to
avoid being accused of having
regional slant in the distribution of
the PVCs.
“It will be wrong to assume that
Yobe State or any other state has
higher rate of collection. If people
come out to collect and others did
not , why should INEC be blamed for
that.
Jega, who said there was no case in
court that was capable of
preventing INEC from holding the
elections as scheduled, added, ‘‘As I
speak to you, 800,000 to one million
cards are yet to be produced.’’
He however gave assurance that
the PVCs would be produced and
delivered to their owners before
the days of the elections.
The INEC boss described the
purchase of PVCs by some people,
especially politicians, as a criminal
offence .
He said, “If we have information on
criminal purchase or cloning of the
cards, we will invite the security to
investigate. People can clone our
cards but if they are not issued by
INEC, then they would not be read
by our own card readers.
“The PVC carries the information of
the voter which is in our database.
We refrain from using the card
readers for voting because the
constitution is against it. We have
cases where corps members were
forced to alter accreditation figure
but now if the number of the votes
cast is different from the number
accredited, the entire result of the
polling units will be cancelled.
Jega said that if security would be
guaranteed in IDPs’ camps, INEC
could make arrangements to take
care of them.
He said, “There is an online system
where people can find out details
of their registration. Ghana used
card readers and it was relatively
successful. Likelihood of card
reader’s failure is very remote.
“Its usage will not violate either
the electoral act or the
constitution. There is difference
between voting and voting
process. We are well advised we
are on solid legal standing on the
issue.”
He added that INEC did not ask for
card reader usage in the Electoral
Act because it was not necessary
since the existing law guarantees
the arrangement.
He said the PVCs would be
permanent because it could last for
10 years, adding that “by 2019 we
hope that the National Identity
Card project would have
materialised so that INEC could
draw out the data of people of
voter age from the NIMC database.”
Jega added, “Whereas section 52
of the Electoral Act prohibits the
use of electronic voting, the card
reader is not a voting machine and
it is not used for voting, it is merely
an electronic device introduced to
improve the integrity of the voting;
process.
“It should be remembered that
sections 78 and 118 of the 1999
constitution grant INEC powers to
register voters and to conduct
elections in Nigeria. Using the card
reader has enormous advantages;
first, once it is configured, it can
only read PVC issued by INEC at the
polling unit that it has been
configured. Second, it reads the
embedded chip card not the back
code.
“Third it enables authentication of
the identity of the voter by
matching his or her fingerprint with
the code on the chip of the card.
Four, it keeps a tally of all cards
read and all cards verified or
authenticated with all their details,
including the time when this was
done.”
The demonstration of the card
readers on the floor of the Senate
was commended by Senators
Bukola Saraki and Ita Enang, who
said the development had shown
that INEC was fully prepared for the
polls.
Senate President, David Mark, in his
closing remarks said the Senate
had confidence in the ability of the
electoral umpire to conduct free,
fair and credible elections.
He, however, urged the
management of the commission to
feel free to contact the leadership
of the National Assembly for any
assistance that would make the
elections a huge success.

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

#smile#

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

No boss

20manlotto wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

No boss

If iron meet iron, one go bend for one...

20manlotto wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

No boss

i want it like that okay!

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

20manlotto wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

No boss

i want it like that okay!

am not sure you are a Nigeria see the way you talk hmmmm

ancl wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

20manlotto wrote:

aneke peter chukwujekwu wrote:

Make una shift it to december we nigeria didn't care

No boss

i want it like that okay!

am not sure you are a Nigeria see the way you talk hmmmm

Buaaaaah

Abi na

Abi na

ancl wrote:

Abi na

Na true u talk.

Coup..... What out!!!

Interim, hmm.

Yes ooooo!

I dey tell ppl buh dey no wan accept.

Let's wait and see man.

I dey tell ppl buh dey no wan accept.

Okay.