The leadership of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly has asked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to resign from office with immediate effect. Jega was accused of having ethnic agenda with the commission’s recent creation of additional 30,000 polling units in the country.
The chairman of the commission had defended the creation, saying that the action was meant to bring the total polling units in the country to 150,000 and that it would decongest the polling units ahead of the 2015 general elections. Jega on Wednesday said he would not resign his position but would conduct the 2015 general elections with the best intention and in national interest.
But the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly on Wednesday
disagreed.
Leaders of the group, which included former Vice President,
Chief Alex Ekwueme; a former Federal Minister of
Information, Chief Edwin Clark; and Senator Femi
Okurounmu, said the action was not justifiable.
They stated this after the group’s meeting, which was held in
Abuja on Wednesday.
It was also the opinion of the group that President Goodluck
Jonathan should immediately re-organise the composition
and the structure of the commission immediately.
According to a communique issued at the end of the group’s
meeting, the southern leaders said it was wrong for Jega to
have done what he did.
The communique said, “Jega cannot exculpate himself from
being a proponent of ethic agenda; we are the least
surprised that he has been recruited to perfect the ploy of
some persons from parts of this country to truncate our
nascent democracy.
“With the indefensible employment of proportional
representation and equality as parameters, Jega decided not to equilibrate but to marginalize the entire southern Nigeria by arbitrarily and capriciously allocating 21,615 polling units to the North as against 8,412 polling units to southern Nigeria.
“Whereas we have clearly argued the lack of need for any
additional polling unit given the reduced number of
registered voters consequent upon the Automated Fingers
Identification System.
“Creating a phantom 30,000 polling units and whimsically
allocating them to favour the North is the height of insult to
the people of southern Nigeria.”
But while speaking at a press conference held in the
commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, Jega
insisted that the commission would not rescind its decision
on the new PUs.
He said, “I am not an ethnic or religious jingoist. My
antecedents are there; I have been accused of many things.
Those who don’t want progress resort to sponsoring
fictitious groups to pull us down.
“These critics are mischief makers who hang everything on
ethnic or religious context. That is not the case as far as INEC is concerned, there is nothing we can do. We believe that all rational thinking people in those groups will later see reason with us. This is not the first time people are calling for my resignation or being fired. I will be there in 2015.”

www.punchng.com/news/resign-now-southern-leaders-group-tells-jega/

sentiment and nepotism is what is killing Nigerians.this is why this country will never reach its destined destination.if federal government make a policy without bias mind,Igbo man will shout nepotism,if he change its stand,yoruba man will shout favourism,if they now say let everybody remain one place, hausa man will shout sessionism. I think Nigerians are very difficult to please

This Jega has a northern agenda. why create 30,000 polling units in the north.

RICHIEBOI1: This Jega has a northern agenda. why create 30,000 polling units in the north.

21000 in the North 8000 in the South

Indirectly telling us that North is more populated than South.

[img]https://www.nairaland.com/attachments/1402348_1-IMG_8971_jpga9ada4a49c8244326a3f29bdb74962b7[/img]

North has the votes to determine who becomes the next President of Nigeria. Those who are wimping ethnic sentiments and tribal bigots should understand that if it boils down to tribalism, the SW+North can make it happen without blinking.

[size=18pt]For the sake of peace, confidence building and making sure the result of next years election is acceptable, Jega should honorably resign and save us this looming crisis of confidence.

You cannot insist on being an impartial referee in a match where you have openly expressed your bias towards or against one side.[/size]

ChimaAdeoye: For the sake of peace, confidence building and making sure the result of next years election is acceptable, Jega should honorably resign and save us this looming crisis of confidence.

You cannot insist on being an impartial referee in a match where you have openly expressed your bias towards or against one side.

So TAN members just discovered they lack the votes to stop Nigerians from sending the Zoologist back to Bayelsa?

old bitter men always believing they know the best for the country. yes the north has a significantly higher population than the south...so cry me a river

egift:

So TAN members just discovered they lack the votes to stop Nigerians from sending the Zoologist back to Bayelsa?

Why do you so much hate yourself. If it was another region that were allocated those ratio-less and irreconcilable quota booths or issues personal to Tinubu, you will be up in arms and ranting online with venomous tirade against the perpetrators.

So much for claiming Igbo, I better sleep well with a snake than a brother like you.

What's good for others, is definitely not a poison to your ancestral region

Ngwakwe: Why do you so much hate yourself. If it was another region that were allocated those ratio-less and irreconcilable quota booths or issues personal to Tinubu, you will be up in arms and ranting online with venomous tirade against the perpetrators.

So much for claiming Igbo, I better sleep well with a snake than a brother like you.

What's good for others, is definitely not a poison to your ancestral region

Jega has explained that polling units are based on number of voters. And based on the last registration of new voters that if you make between 300 - 450 voters per unit, that will be the reality. Yet you are here wishing to "sleep with a snake". What type of desire is that? All the people attacking Jega (who for me is Jonathan's man) non of you have suggested what should be done differently and why that should be.

egift:

Jega has explained that polling units are based on number of voters. And based on the last registration of new voters that if you make between 300 - 450 voters per unit, that will be the reality. Yet you are here wishing to "sleep with a snake". What type of desire is that? All the people attacking Jega (who for me is Jonathan's man) non of you have suggested what should be done differently and why that should be.

JEGA made a jest of his professorship and moreover, that wasn't my point.

Had the ratio gone against NE and NW, you will open countless threads to curse JEGA and accuse him of unimaginable conspiracies

You take pleasure in marginalisation of South East to favour your political inclination.

Berem and Abagworo are strong anti-Jonathan/PDP crusaders but not against South East regional interest.

Whats the number of the voting population in the SE in contrast to the NW?

The last anambra gubernatorial election had 500,000+ voters, thats about the mere size of a voting population at a local government in Kano.

egift: [img]https://www.nairaland.com/attachments/1402348_1-IMG_8971_jpga9ada4a49c8244326a3f29bdb74962b7[/img]

North has the votes to determine who becomes the next President of Nigeria. Those who are wimping ethnic sentiments and tribal bigots should understand that if it boils down to tribalism, the SW+North can make it happen without blinking.

north did not vote for GEJ in 2011 yet he is president.Even if you remove the sw votes from him ,he would still have won

this humiliation is too much they should keep queit southern Nigeria peoples assembly am never hear such name before this is a fake news

chukwudi44:

north did not vote for GEJ in 2011 yet he is president.Even if you remove the sw votes from him ,he would still have won

So how would he have won with neither the support of the North or the SW?

I don't know why we southerners like complaining about everything in this country? The same Jega they are talking about now to resign was praised to high heaven after 2011 election. Why must Jega resign? What has he done to warrant call for his resignation? Are those lousy southerners who claimed they are leaders not seeing how incompetent our brother GEJ is to advice him not to re contest?

pro2010: So how would he have won with neither the support of the North or the SW?

Don't mind that guy. He thinks that a vote of a section of the country elects a president - No wonder they are insulting the life out of everyone else.

There are so many reasons why Jega should have resigned. Unfortunately,the so called leaders played dumb. Inasmuch as I am not in support of the robbery of polling units to favour the north,that is not a reason Jega should resign.

@berem
Pls tell us more reason why jega should resign?

Am all ears

masu: @berem
Pls tell us more reason why jega should resign?

Am all ears

question for the gods.
Wait lemme call Jega to ask him why he should resign.

pro2010:

So how would he have won with neither the support of the North or the SW?

Yes of course!! Go back and count the votes from the differantt zones in 2011 and tell me what you found out!!!

Jega should resign and make the coming general elections free and fair.

Jega should revert to the polling stations used in the previous elections to avoid this looming chaos.You don't change the goal post halfway into a match. Which is what Jega has done. Whatever his intentions are, he is now tainted as bias and should resign to make the results acceptable.

Jakpon: Whats the number of the voting population in the SE in contrast to the NW?

The last anambra gubernatorial election had 500,000+ voters, thats about the mere size of a voting population at a local government in Kano.

Eleyi je gangan ni esi ti Awo free eko imulo.ti o ba wa rodent.
Re baba oko ati obo. Mtchww

Jega should tender his resignation letter without further delay!

Of course,Jega ne mai crimal,kum dole ne je.ya soiled da suna .shaidan dole ne pumish da shi,domin yin mugunta da Alloli yara.

Donmarrius: Jega should tender his resignation letter without further delay!

Of course,Jega ne mai crimal,kum dole ne je.ya soiled da suna .shaidan dole ne pumish da shi,domin yin mugunta da Alloli yara.

Nigerian officials are shameless!
But shameless or not, Jega should save the country this coming crisis and resign now.

Ngwakwe:

Why do you so much hate yourself. If it was another region that were allocated those ratio-less and irreconcilable quota booths or issues personal to Tinubu, you will be up in arms and ranting online with venomous tirade against the perpetrators.

So much for claiming Igbo, I better sleep well with a snake than a brother like you.

What's good for others, is definitely not a poison to your ancestral region

. For the record, egift is an impersonator.

size38: I don't know why we southerners like complaining about everything in this country? The same Jega they are talking about now to resign was praised to high heaven after 2011 election. Why must Jega resign? What has he done to warrant call for his resignation? Are those lousy southerners who claimed they are leaders not seeing how incompetent our brother GEJ is to advice him not to re contest?

. Hausa man claiming South...

Ngwakwe:

JEGA made a jest of his professorship and moreover, that wasn't my point.

Had the ratio gone against NE and NW, you will open countless threads to curse JEGA and accuse him of unimaginable conspiracies

You take pleasure in marginalisation of South East to favour your political inclination.

Berem and Abagworo are strong anti-Jonathan/PDP crusaders but not against South East regional interest.

I heard you are no more a MOD. How true?

So Jega is serious about being an unbiased umpire?
ok, lets wait and see how this issues will rock the credibility of the coming polls.