The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Tuesday gave an indication that the commission might rely on the existing voter register for the conduct of the 2011 elections.



While swearing-in 16 out of the 19 resident electoral commissioners at INEC Headquarters in Abuja, Jega said that one of the priorities of the electoral body was the display of the existing voter register across the country.



He told RECs that the success of the exercise depended on them and therefore warned them not to receive any form of assistance from state governments without clearance from INEC headquarters in Abuja.



The INEC boss said, “As we move towards the general elections, one of the most important priorities facing us now is to display the existing voter register.



“The success of this exercise would depend on you. You are, therefore, requested to make a serious assessment of your operational readiness and capabilities at the state and local government offices of INEC for this exercise, and for subsequent ones as we move towards the elections.”



Jega described the swearing in of RECs as a one of the most important milestones in the “very serious obligation” towards repositioning INEC to deliver free, fair, and credible elections in 2011 and beyond.



To drive home this point, he said “The commission strongly believes that credible elections are not only feasible, but that it is incumbent upon all of us to strive to do our very best towards this objective.



“As you (RECs) receive your postings and go to your respective states, it is imperative that you bear this in mind.”



The INEC chairman also used the occasion to warn RECs to be wary of gifts from state government because reports reaching him about the relationship between RECs and state governments were not in the best interest of the commission.



He said, “The practice by some RECs in the recent past of going cap-in-hand to state governments for assistance is to be discouraged because it is capable of undermining your independence.



“RECs are advised to get in touch with the National Headquarters to address whatever problems they may face. Even in instances where assistance is freely offered as is done to other federal agencies, approval for accepting such assistance must be obtained from the commission.



“You will agree with me that such measures are essential in ensuring public confidence in your work.



“Part of the efforts toward repositioning INEC is a reflection on the past practices so as to learn from them.”



The warning came on the heels of revelations by the immediate past governor of Cross Rivers State, Mr. Donald Duke, that a system which leaves RECs at the mercy of state governments would surely lead to election rigging.



The INEC chairman appealed to all members of staff of the commission to join hands with him to ensure that the commission satisfied the yearnings of Nigerians for credible elections.



Just before the RECs inauguration, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission, Senator Isiaka Adeleke, had said that INEC would not organise a fresh voter registration exercise.



Adeleke, who also said that the commission would not use electronic machines for the 2011 poll, added that there was no time for a fresh voter registration to be conducted.



He told journalists in Ede, Osun State on Tuesday, that INEC would, however, revise the existing register.



The Senate committee chairman, who is the first civilian governor of Osun State, said the acquisition of electronic machines for the general elections would take between six and eight months.



Adeleke also explained that the 2006 Electoral Act had been amended to mete out a two- year jail term for election riggers.



Disclosing that the amended Electoral Act had been rechristened 2010 Electoral Act of Nigeria, he added that any candidate found to have perpertrated electoral violence or other irregularities would be barred from contesting election for a decade.



He revealed that Section 34, sub-section 2 of the 2006 electoral Act, which permitted political parties to substitute candidates 60 days to an election, was amended on the grounds that the section was exploited in the past by politicians to manipulate the selection of candidates after party primaries.



Adeleke said, ”The Senate and the INEC found out that most of the election dispute matters that ensued after the 2007 general elections had to do with internal democracy within the political parties. The selection of many of their candidates was fraudulent and that was why we altered Section 34 of the 2006 Electoral Act.



“This is to promote internal democracy within political parties. INEC and the Senate Committee on electoral commission would monitor the primary elections of the political parties, to ensure that they comply with the new Electoral Act. INEC and the Senate will democratise the selection of political parties‘ candidates.”


http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20100721435629

What?! OK im convinced now. Nigeria is a failed state and can never be a real country. These people can never shy away from rigging just for one second.  So this amendment was only amendment change could go into effect till after 2011 elections took place. They knew there is no way corruption can be fixed by january. the best thing would have been is for Nigeria to work on its own pace. But this could only be achieve without corrupt officials of nigeria and those other countries who are influencing these decisions  because of their interest in the country through embassies and diplomats.

Failed from start

Just like the way Jega was serving Inec as a consultant, the same goes to Iwu in 2011. Nigeria, the drama continues.

Jonathan is officially dumb now.He listened to the wrong advice.This system may be used to rig a Northerner in.Out of the N10bn for independence day, he could not sign a bill for voting reform that uses elctronic voting.He definitely does not have a mind of his own, a strategy or foresight.He has used his hands to lose the war.Not a politician at all.

Fair election ko,
Fair election ni.
Anyone read Donald Duke's insight into how elections are rigged in 9ja that was in the Guardian newspaper of recent?

Jega should have told us that he would not be able to take Nigeria to promised land.

ochukoccna:

Fair election ko,
Fair election ni.
Anyone read Donald Duke's insight into how elections are rigged in 9ja that was in the Guardian newspaper of recent?

.

Yes, i did.
It was master piece.

INEC has to conduct his own voter register, you cant use IWu register. even the nigeria law say so. You can not use over  one year  old voters register to conduct an election.

I want to remind the PDP again a video of saddam hussein hung and the USA attack Iraq because of Satellite pictures . saddam hussein also claim he was a democratically elected president with the Bath party.


Here is saddam hussein video been hung.

http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=Aw_RzwmqAYk&feature=related

It should be a warning to the PDP leadership and that the world is watching Nigeria and would treat you like Iraq and saddam hussein .  Patience Goodluck call your husband them go deal with am, Tell am sturborness no good my sister. I tell am make him come here come see picture, him dey do agidi, I get something .  na him life him dey take play. him no one hear word.I no dey lie o. na wetin I go tell my own brother, I don tell him. I no fit talk. banky so fun, ewu wa. oro po ni inu iwe kobo. wo ma gba ibo fi ni.

Balewa Northerner            ( died in office)Overthrown
Ironsi  southerner          ( died in office)  ( six month before the north over thrown him)Overthrown
Gowon  Northerner         Overthrown
Muritala   Northerner        ( died in office)
Obasanjo Southerner
Shagari  Northerner         Overthrown
Buhari  Northerner             Overthrown
IBB Northerner                   force out of power
Sonekan southerner (81 days  before the north over thrown him) Overthrown
Abacha Northerner           ( died in office)
Abdusalami   Northerner
Yar Adua  Northerner        ( died in office)

And nigeria law and constitution does not requires a person to have voter card or vote before been elected to an office. Even it does not require you to live in nigeria. it just state , you are a nigeria.

This is Donald Rumsfeld salute Saddam Hussein , so do not think shaking hand with Obama is a key to the white house. they operate on principle over here. Different from nigeria. Can smile with you today and if you fail to conduct a true election. They can shoot you tomorrow.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTldYbqlJc8&feature=related

[img]http://leisureguy.files./2006/09/saddam_rummy.jpg[/img]

Is there any room in this our democracy for Nigerians to say their mind on any national issue? There seem none. It is very obvious, given the recent experience of voters in Anambra and Ekiti states that there is urgent need for a fresh voters register. Even if the current voters register has not been manipulated by Inec and politicians, there is still need to register people who were below 18 yrs during the last registration exercise as well as those who has either relocated or lost their voters card. Comments like this from Inec is a direct affront on the sensibility of Nigerians.

Nothing suprises me in this country.

nija will never stop to wonder me,, well, am personally keeping close and watching how event will unfold. i cant just imagine this country not getting it rite come next year. what a shame[size=8pt][/size]

What the heck is Jega doing?

If INEC refused to update the voters register by removing the fake names and names of those who are dead, and registering those who have attained the voting age since the last voters register review, the people should make sure the election does not hold. NYSC members should not partake in the electoral process, the people should not allow any election to hold. Simple.
BUT IAM SURE THE HUNGRY NYSC WILL NOT HEED TO MY ADVICE AND THE SUPERSTITIOUS NIGERIANS WILL SAY THAT IF IT'S GOD'S WILL JEGA WILL UPDATE THE VOTERS REGISTER.

What new constitution, are you talking about, there is nothing different between the new constitution and the old. close to nothing, removing "comma" from the constitution does not make it news.

The 2007 election voters registration was done i think Novermber 2006 or october.  won ma hang yi ni. That why I have told you people remove the yorubas,edo,delta from nigeria.

Karere, tell banigo to tell jonathan, they go come to naija and hang them, and deal with PDP, if una make any mistake. They have street level pictures of every countries in the world. they are not joking with nigeria.
yawa dey, divide it into north and south or remove yoruba,edo,delta  if you want, yawa dey the picture, una go find it difficult to conduct election. Yawa ,. That why i need prof joy ogwu number.  share the oil money with the north and save your lifes. they is yawa for the picture. they are looking at the pictures of everybody at street level. sambo become president of north . kwara,kogi and benue part of the south.

You have no choice to either remove the Yorubas ,edo, delta from Nigeria or you go with the sudan option at the united nation. You have NO choice. Won ready fu yi. oro wa ni iwe kobo.   You would find it difficult.
There is yawa in the picture and may lead to civil war. pale out now. We dont have option.

Here is a street level picture ,



[img]http://3.bp..com/_ZaGO7GjCqAI/SjDfjePrvuI/AAAAAAAAQPU/X1CFlvnJEts/s640/disneyland-street-view.jpg[/img]



[img]http://1.bp..com/_iyEZBSGITC4/SAz-XpIc66I/AAAAAAAAAPA/agAToxrovd0/s400/GoogleEarth-street-view.jpg[/img]

@Becomerich:

I wonder what meeting you in person will feel like. . . .i wouldn't trade that for all the cinemas in this world!

obaigbena or banky yawa dey, tell jonathan yawa dey. obaigbena or banky won ma gbe ibou fu yi ni. Yawa wa,ogirileti

Lol!!!. Where are they guys arguing with me on one thread like that? Requesting to know whom the Jega is. like i said before, is not all about what or whom Jega is now but what the system will bend him to in the nearest future. Lets wait and see, 2011 is jst by the corner.

where are those that were rejoicing that jega would take us to the promised land of electoral bliss


where are they?


those that think that removing iwu would solve the problem?


una never see anything

I hoped never to ask this question but "why was Maurice Iwu" removed then?

whats the point?

princekevo:

Lol!!!. Where are they guys arguing with me on one thread like that? Requesting to know whom the Jega is. like i said before, is not all about what or whom Jega is now but what the system will bend him to in the nearest future. Lets wait and see, 2011 is jst by the corner.

Indeed . Jonathan has deliberately persevered with a highly flawed system because he wants to profit from this failed systems . Jonathan will be aware that the system can bend, overwhelm and , ultimately , defeat Jega.

Was Jonathan not part of the 'crew' that forced Ekiti REC (Madam Adebayo) declare a pro-PDP guber result she had alleged went against her "christian conscience" ? Can same not happen to Jega?

Jega says there will be a "credible electoral register" in place by 2011 elections and now we are told they will be using Iwu's discredited register that caused so much rancour in the past over its dubiousness and PDP bias . All this after Jonathan met Jega to 'clear the air' on certain issues .

I think it is obvious that Jonathan plans to rig the next general election. Nothing else can explain his zero attempt at effective leadership so far , his rehabilition of discredited folks like Aondoakaa and Alamayeiseigha and his abysmal failure to hold some folks to account over how Nigeria was hijacked , and almost destabilised , during the Yar Adua health saga.

The worst thing that will happen to Jonathan is a questionable electoral victory.

In fact it will be better for him if he does not run at all than to be heavily rigged to remain in power.

mikeansy:

The worst thing that will happen to Jonathan is a questionable electoral victory.

In fact it will be better for him if he does not run at all than to be heavily rigged to remain in power.

No, the worst and likely thing that will happen is that he will not win the election. He just got check mated by very smart people. The best thing he could have done was electoral reform, high performance and allowing a credible electoral process to vote him in. He would have won. But now, he will be a 1+ year president. For sure. Once Hausa's count their cow and other livestock, then its all over for Jonathan.

actually, they are not been smart. you ask yourself is jonathan better under the mercy of the yorubas or north. if he leave the system the same without reform, he is at the mercy of the north, if he reforms the system, he is at the mercy of the yorubas. he stand a better chance on been at the mercy of the yorubas than the north. i am backup if he failure to fix the system.

This is an average north town. 0.28 X 0.25 = area=

But Ibadan and lagos has 1300 sq km. what it means is that you can make 18,000 towns of this same like from ibadan and lagos. The north do not have 18000 towns.

When I did the area coverage of the southern state capital including lagos and Ibadan . It was around 2400 sq km. While the north was about 770 sqkm. even if you remove that. you have 1630 sq km still remain.


If you use this average of northern town 0.28 X 0.25 = area 0.07

1630/ 0.07 = 23285.71 towns in the north.

if we assume that the northern town are double that size. 0.56 X 0.5 =0.28 =area

1630/ 0.28 = 5821.42 towns that the southern city can produce. If you divide by the 19 state in the north. is = 306 towns

What this finding means is that if the south have no town and cities apart from the state capital. The south would still be more than the north.

Even if we assume that the north average northern town is 3 times . The south can still produce 175 towns in 19 each state of the north.

violent:

@Becomerich:

I wonder what meeting you in person will feel like. . . .i wouldn't trade that for all the cinemas and beer in this world!

I'd actuali love to meet him in person. I sure he'll be a different character seeing him face to face. I've got one of his e-mails already. I'll locate him on my next trip not minding how much extra I'll have to pay for tickets. I'm sure he's one helluva interesting persona.

What voters register is professor Jega talking about,
is it the one that is already faulty?
Why is Jega trying to associate himself with Iwu?
Nigerians should watch-out!!! This is another PDP
game. Too bad that my nobel professor Jega wants to
rubish himself. We did appaulled when you where appointed
as the INEC chairman because we have trust in you then,
what a shame TODAY that you are now deviating from your true-self.

Becomrich0:

What new constitution, are you talking about, there is nothing different between the new constitution and the old. close to nothing, removing "comma" from the constitution does not make it news.

The 2007 election voters registration was done i think Novermber 2006 or october. won ma hang yi ni. That why I have told you people remove the yorubas,edo,delta from nigeria.

and who told you edo's and delta would want to follow yoruba?

TewMuch:

Jonathan is officially dumb now.[b]He listened to the wrong advice.[/b]This system may be used to rig a Northerner in.Out of the N10bn for independence day, he could not sign a bill for voting reform that uses elctronic voting.He definitely does not have a mind of his own, a strategy or foresight.He has used his hands to lose the war.Not a politician at all.

Maybe he heard it on Facebook, hahaha