INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega Admits 2011 Elections Were Not Perfect!

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, Thursday admitted that the April 2011, which produced the current political office holders in the country were not perfect.

Speaking at a two-day retreat and workshop for INEC Public Affairs Officers from across the country in Kaduna, he said the commission has embarked on some restructuring to correct the lapses noticeable during the voter registration exercise and the 2011elections.

Represented at the occasion by the Chairman of the Information and Publicity Committee of the Commission, Mr.Solomon Soyebi, Jega said although conducting transparent and credible elections was a difficult task, he stressed that credible elections  could be achieved with the cooperation of all the stakeholders.

He charged participants at the workshop to identify the lapses that attended the conduct of both the voter registration and the 2011 general elections with a view to coming up with suggestions on how to address them against future polls.

According to him, the task of delivering elections that are transparent and credible is a herculean one, given the pedigree  the Nigerian nation, context and deprivations, adding that the commission will continue to strive to ensure that elections in Nigeria are credible and transparent.

“This is not an idle vision or wishful thinking as the commission has embarked on a re-organization and restructuring exercise with a view to repositioning itself to ensure much better service delivery,” he said. “Through the two major projects under my watch, namely the Voter Registration exercise and the 2011 General Elections, the Commission has, as confirmed by the reports of local and international observers, raised the bar in terms of delivering free, fair and credible elections in this country.

“Nigerians and members of the international community are unanimously agreed that the new commission, since its advent in June 2010, has added value to the electoral process and that substantial gains have been made on the electoral front,” Jega said.

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