We Must Get It Right This Time, Says Jega .

Guardian

2 April 2011

We Must Get It Right This Time, Says Jega .

AS Nigerians go to the polls to elect their National Assembly representatives today, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advised those who have no business with election venues to stay clear or risk arrest and prosecution.

In these categories are people who did not register as voters and those who engaged in double or multiple registrations.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, while addressing the nation yesterday said the commission would collaborate with security agencies to ensure that those caught violating the instructions, either by multiple registrations or underaged who come to the polling units, are arrested and prosecuted.

Reading from a prepared text entitled “We can’t afford to fail,” Jega said today’s election should provide the chance for Nigeria to get it right as a nation.  “It is incumbent upon all of us to join hands together to conduct elections that are free, fair and credible. Bringing about that successfully is virtually important to the future of our nation, therefore we must not fail and we must get it right,” he said.

On the part of INEC, Jega said the commission had worked tirelessly to put infrastructure, people and procedures in place.

His words: “We have prepared adequately in terms of logistics, the training of our staff and in terms of effective liaison with security agencies to provide security before, during and after elections.

“Besides, we have recruited over 400,000 ad-hoc staff, thereby ensuring an average of three officials per polling unit and a number of supervisory officials. Moreover, we are doing our best to ensure that within 48 hours, the results are announced. This is the target timeline we are working on, in-spite of the fact that Nigeria is a very vast country with many difficult terrains.”

He also said the commission would deploy electronics surveillance technology to help it monitor activities in strategic areas. Though the exercise would not cover all parts of the country, he was optimistic that with time, it would scale up.