Outgoing Chairman of the Independent National Electoral
Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has promised to clear the backlog of all
promotions at the commission before the expiration of his tenure at the end of
this month.
Jega was, however, quoted as saying that “there would be no room
for any automatic promotion.”
This was contained in the commission’s bulletin, a copy of which
was made available to our correspondent in Abuja on Wednesday.
Jega also said states which did not create or activate
Registration Area Centres during the last general elections will be directed to
account for their inability.
He warned about reverting to what obtained in the past where
Resident Electoral Commissioners and Electoral Officers returned election
outcomes, insisting that by appointing Returning Officers outside INEC,
“remarkable improvement was brought to the process.”
He observed that the strain on RECs and EOs during elections was
too much and further saddling them with the task of returning election outcomes
tended to make them prone to mistakes.
“The strain is too much. They are not superhumans and they will
make mistakes,” Jega was quoted as saying.
He expressed delight that most of the returning officers appointed
by the commission in the 2011 and 2015 general elections were above board.
He said the retreat organised for Resident Electoral Commissioners
in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, made a number of brilliant suggestions,
which he said, when taken on board by the next Commission, would remarkably
improve the electoral process.
Jega said he felt fulfilled with the outcome of the 2015 general
elections, which conduct, he said, was appreciated by most Nigerians.
In what was said to have passed for a valedictory speech, Jega
added that the commission, under his watch, had laid a good foundation on which
subsequent commissions could build on.
Jega was quick to acknowledge, however, that the performance of
the commission was attributed to the combined efforts of the management and
staff who, he said, worked tirelessly and under difficult circumstances.
He attributed the success of the elections to the manner the
management and staff worked and related like a family.
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