President Goodluck is not planning to appoint a
replacement for the Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega,
investigations by The PUNCH has revealed.
A Presidency official, who spoke with one of our
correspondents in Abuja on Wednesday, said that
since the tenure of the present government would
end on May 29, there was no need for the President
to “hurriedly appoint another INEC chairman.”
The tenure of Jega, who has supervised two national
elections, ends on June 30.
He was appointed by President Jonathan in June
2010, to replace Prof. Maurice Iwu as the chairman of
the commission.
The law establishing the commission stipulates that
the “chairman and members of the commission shall
each hold office for a period of five years and on such
terms and conditions as may be specified in their
letters of appointment.”
Jega, who was a serving Vice Chancellor of Bayero
University, Kano when he was appointed, supervised
the 2011 general election, whose presidential
election was won by President Jonathan of the
Peoples Democratic Party.
He also organised the last Presidential election,
which was won by the candidate of the All
Progressives Congress, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari(retd.).
However, Jega was severely criticised by members of
the ruling party because of his refusal to back down
on the use of card reader and Permanent Voter Card
for the 2015 polls.
Perhaps, because of the fierce criticism he received
prior to the conduct of the 2015 general elections,
Jega told the BBC Hausa Service in Abuja on April 1,
that he would not accept a tenure renewal.
Jega said during an interview with BBC Hausa
Service, “I am grateful to God. I was asked to come
and contribute my own quota to national
development and I have done my bit to the best of
my ability.
“Whatever assignment one will do for five years –
just like this difficult one, to me if one is able to
successfully accomplish the task, someone else
should be given the opportunity, because for me I am
not interested and if I am requested to serve again, I
will not do it, by God’s grace.”
A minister, who also spoke to one of our
correspondents on condition of anonymity, said that
it would not be appropriate for the President to
appoint a substantive chairman when he would be
leaving before the chairman of the electoral body.

Na them know dat one

yawning....

He would be myopic not to do so!

I think jonathan shud appoint prof asari dokubo as the next inec chairman

if Gej truly want democracy to continue then he need to send Jega on terminal leave and appoint someone else for futuristic sack

Why would he? Is he still the president?