21st June, 2012
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said in Abuja on Thursday that it was working toward ensuring that disenfranchised electoral officers cast their votes in future general elections.
INEC Chairman,Professor Attahiru Jega, gave the assurance during a study visit by some “young experts’’ in ECOWAS, on the platform of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.
Jega said disenfranchisement of electoral officials was one of the imperfections in the national elections.“Unfortunately we don’t always allow electoral officials like Ad hoc staff, returning officers, security officials and drivers on election duty to vote during elections,’’ he said.
According to him, INEC has taken a stand to correct the lapses in future elections to enhance the credibility of electoral process.Jega said before the process could be tried in the country, the confidence of Nigerians on electoral process must be rebuilt.He said that it had become imperative because the nation’s election was still being conducted under a tensed atmosphere, where electoral officials came under allegations of manipulation process.“Since such has not been tried in Nigeria, INEC is considering it for future election after 2015 when sufficient confidence must have been restored. ’’’He said he was fascinated witnessing such exercise during the election in Liberia.“It can be done, many countries do it, and we will do it. We could not do it during the April elections because we wanted to reduce the baggage of suspicion.