Anambra Election: Groups Decry Conduct Of Poll, Says Jega Has Disappointed Nigerians

More people have continued to condemn the administrative flaws that marred the November 16 governorship election in Anambra State.

Two groups, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) and the Transparency Center Network (TCN), yesterday asked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega to apologize publicly to Nigerians for the failure of the Commission.

They also tasked the leadership of the electoral umpire to name and prosecute all the electoral officials and other persons involved in acts which undermined the conduct of the election that has already been declared inconclusive.

The groups posited that the bulk of blame and responsibility lies with INEC which is constitutionally empowered to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.

In a statement signed by Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, HURIWA National Coordinator and Deputy Chief of mission for Transparency Centre Network (TCN), an accredited Anambra election observer and the National Director, Media Affairs of the body, Zainab Yusuf, the groups said the failure of INEC in Anambra was an unfortunate foretaste of what may happen in 2015 elections unless and except comprehensive reforms are executed in INEC by the National Assembly to make it transparent, accountable, effective and efficient.

“We write in our capacity as partners in the election observation during the Anambra governorship poll under the banner of Transparency Centre Network which invited us (HURIWA) to assist with the national assignment of observing that election.

“Regrettably, the conduct of that election was a huge disappointment despite several years of preparation and the huge financial resources committed to it. The conduct of the poll was marred by a number of impediments including but not limited to the criminal shortage of electoral sensitive materials and the inexplicable tampering with voters register, in which case, a lot of citizens duly registered by the Electoral Commission were denied their constitutionally protected human rights to civil and political freedoms”.
The groups asked INEC to ensure that the supplementary election is conducted without delays.

“We are saddened that the Electoral Commission has once more demonstrated to the world that the relics of inefficiency and corruption that are deeply entrenched in INEC long before the current leadership was appointment have even assumed wider dimension and if these gaps are not quickly fixed, the 2015 election could precipitate major national conflagrations if same administrative flaws seen in Anambra on November 16th, 2013 are repeated on national scale”.

The groups noted that the sentiments expressed by almost all the political parties is understood, urging that only legitimate and lawful steps be taken to redress all anomalies witnessed.
HURIWA and TCN also criticized INEC for failing to pay both the police operatives on election duties and some members of the National Youth Service Corps deployed for the poll.
They insisted that officials indicted for administrative blunders must be identified and prosecuted.

Culled from Daily Post