WITH the signing into law of the 2010 Electoral Act and the release of the N87.7 billion budget for the next general elections, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, declared yesterday that the 2011 general elections would not be postponed.

He said politicians, who wanted to hide under the disguise of non-preparation to call for a shift in the election should start preparing for the polls, if they are serious in getting voters’ support.

He said nothing would make the commission succumb to pressure “to shift the date of next year’s election under whatever guise”.

Jega, who reiterated his commitment to conduct credible, free and fair elections within the confines of the commission’s rules and the enabling laws, spoke in Kaduna through the commission’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Legal Services Committee, Mr. Philip Umeadi (jnr) at the Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) of the ongoing annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA).

According to Umeadi, the electoral body would not be persuaded by the political class to depart from its original rules and objectives to conduct free, fair and credible elections come 2011.

To him, the Jega-led commission would not be swayed by spurious agitation for a shift in the planned electoral time table as the commission would conduct the 2011 general elections within the legal framework made available to it for the exercise.

He said: “We will conduct the 2011 polls without fear or favour. We are bound to conduct the election on the basis of legal framework made available to INEC .

“And I can tell you without fear of contradiction that INEC will not be persuaded or bound by any agitation from any quarter to depart from the legal framework to conduct the 2011 poll.

“I will also like to reiterate the INEC chairman’s commitment to credible poll, as conduct of free and fair poll is the solution to electoral fraud.

“ We, in the commission and as a matter of fact, will not depart from the worthy goal, no matter whose ox is gored”.

At SPIDEL lecture entitled: “Nigeria 2011- 2015: Setting the electoral agenda” were the Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi ,who was also the speaker of the session, a former Chief Justice of the Federation and chairman of the section, Justice Mohammed Uwais, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Human Rights, Judiciary and Legal Matters, Senator Umaru Dahiru, SIPDEL chairman, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) and Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).

Obi made a case for credible elections and urged the NBA to lend its weight to the noble objective of sensitising the public on the need for a free and fair poll.

He said: “ If every stakeholder plays his role in the electoral processes, then others will follow suit”.

Gadzama also said that there was no alternative to credible election.



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