A statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government, Rufus Bature, in Jos on Friday also announced the re-instatement of Prof. Danjuma Sheni as Vice Chancellor of the institution.

Jega, the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), was appointed alongside six other council members.

The statement said the re-instatement of Sheni as the substantive Vice Chancellor of the University was with immediate effect.

According to the statement, “The VC is to ensure proper re-positioning of the institution in line with international practices, and to liaise with NUC to fast-track accreditation of programmes and subsequent graduation of two set of final year students.”

The past administration of Gov. Jonah Jang, in Oct. 2014, suspended Sheni as Vice Chancellor, refusing an order of the state high court for the re-instatement of Sheni and, instead, appointed Prof. Stephen Mallo as acting Vice Chancellor.

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Jega, who received accolades from Nigerians home and abroad as well as the international communities for his dignified contributions to the success of the 2015 general election, hands over to Ambassador (Dr.) Ahmed Wali.

Before his appointment as National Commissioners of the (INEC), Wali was a Visiting Reader (Associate Professor) to the Department of Political Science, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, and Chief Executive Officer, Development Strategies International (DSI).

Ambassador Wali is a member of various committees of INEC and the Chairman of the Tenders Board.

A Muslim, Fulani, Wali hails from Sanyima town in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, in the North-West geopolitical zone of Nigeria.

Jega, who is leaving INEC with six National Commissioners whose tenure has equally expired, fought the greatest battle of his life, to preserve his good name, in conducting the 2015 general elections.

When former President Goodluck Jonathan nominated Jega as the Chairman of INEC in June, 2010, it was borne out of the conviction that he was found worthy of a position that had a history of lacking in men that live up to the creed such an office demands— unimpeachable integrity and being a consistent stickler for truth.

It would be recalled that general elections were conducted under Jega’s supervision – 2011, 2015- each with improvement as the 2015 general elections were accepted by all and sundry as the freest and fairest ever in the country’s electoral history.

Jega was a former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), and was an opponent of the Babangida military government in the early 1990s.

Politically leaning towards the left, as ASUU President, he was closely associated with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and continued that connection throughout his career.

On April 29, 2010 he was guest lecturer for the NLC May Day celebration where he presented a paper on ’50 Years of Nationhood: Challenges of Good Democratic Governance, Credible Election and the Working Class’.

He is widely seen as an astute intellectual with a strong sense of ethics and morality.

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He therefore said there was the need to amend the nation’s electoral laws, which he said provided for just seven days after the first election to hold a run-off.

‎Jega who spoke during a dialogue session with Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in Abuja, where he insisted that there were several lacuna in the amended Electoral Act, said this was why the incoming administration should not wait till 2019 general elections before reviewing the Electoral Act.

Jega said he was full of joy when the March 28 Presidential poll did not result into a run-off, adding that there was no way INEC could have successfully conducted the run-off within seven days as provided for in both the constitution and the Electoral Act.

“I heaved a heavy sigh of relief when the election did not result in a run-off. That would have occasioned a big constitutional crisis.

“This is in view of the fact that the constitution only makes provision for seven days for such poll. You and I know that there was no way we would have been able to conduct a run-off within seven days.

“This is why I emphasise that amendments to the electoral laws should be done in good time. We could have further sanitised the electoral process if we had gotten some of the amendments we required in the Electoral Act.”

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Prof. Jega who spoke in Abuja late on Saturday night while announcing the new dates for the elections said that there was not circumstances presently now to warrant his throwing in the towel.

“There absolutely no reason why I should be thinking of resigning at this time. The shift in election dates are issues that are completely outside the purview of INEC which I head,” he said.

The INEC boss however said that however, he would not hesitate to call it quit when he discovers that the scenario is trying to compromise him and the sanctity of his assignment.

He also said that contrary to speculations that the decision to shift the election was forced down on him, the INEC boss assured that the decision to shift the election date was basically a decision taken by INEC and it is willing to own up to the decision.

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Jonathan who spoke while swearing in a new national Commissioner of the commission, representing Oyo state, President Jonathan said no Nigerian should be disenfranchised because of his inability to get the PVC.

Professor Jega, who was also present at the swearing in of the new commissioner promised that every eligible Nigerian would be provided with a PVC before the next month’s general elections.

According to President Jonathan, the huge interests shown by Nigerians from all walks of life in getting their voter’s card was an indication that confidence is being restored in the electoral process.

“Nigerians are getting worried whether INEC can actually conduct elections because of the PVC. Talking about the PVC, even some governors are complaining that they are yet to get their PVC. If governors are yet to get their voter’s cards, of course that means that so many Nigerians are yet to get and people are a bit worried.

“But to me I’m quite pleased, not pleased in the negative sense, but because of the awareness that has come on; that Nigerians want to have their voter’s cards. In 2011, no Nigerian will complain about voter’s card and that’s why when some politicians talk I just laugh.

“Before 2011, how many Nigerians complained about not having voter’s card because elections were not conducted with voter’s cards. Nobody cared, we are all adults in Nigeria and we knew what was happening.”

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He was confirmed the substantive Inspector General of Police at the Police Council meeting held in the Presidential Villa.

Abba, 55, was made the acting IGP on July 31, following the retirement of his predecessor, Mohammed Abubakar, from the Nigerian Police.

He was until his appointment an Assistant Inspector General, AIG, in charge of Zone 7 command, a position he occupied since May 25, 2012.

With degrees in History and Law, Abba was also a former Aide-De-Camp, ADC, to the wife of a former military Head of State, Maryam Abacha.

He enlisted into the Nigerian police as cadet inspector on December 31, 1984 and is due for retirement on March 22, 2019.
He was promoted acting AIG on February 22, 2012.

Positions previously held by him in the Police include Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of the Criminal Investigation Department, FCT Command, Deputy Force Secretary and Commissioner of Police, Rivers State.

Curiously, however, since he was appointed acting police chief, Abba has taken some steps that have drawn criticism and portrayed the police under his command as an appendage of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the presidency.

Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, had issued a warning to him over the series of “illegal policing” that have continued under his watch.

In a letter to the police boss, on Sunday, Falana said he would head to court to challenge Abba’s competence if the police failed to desist from their involvement in partisan politics.

Falana in his letter cited three instances where the police had displayed “political bias” since Abba’s appointment.

“Firstly, the Osun State governorship election which took place on August 9, 2014 was almost marred by the Police and other security forces which arrested and detained over 700 leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC),” said Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

“Indeed, some electoral officers who were assumed to be members of the APC were also railroaded to police custody. But for the personal intervention of Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, the said electoral officers would not have been released.

“Thus, the election would have been disrupted by the police and other security forces whose duty it was to maintain law and order during the democratic exercise.”

Falana noted that since their release after the election, the detained APC leaders had not been charged to court for breaching the provisions of the Electoral Act or any other law whatsoever.

“Secondly, Joseph Mbu, the controversial Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 7 of the Nigeria Poilice Force announced a ban (on) any rally demanding for #bringbackourgirls within the federal capital territory,” Falana said.

“The ban was designed to assuage the feelings of some officials of the Federal Government who are embarrassed by being reminded of their constitutional duty of rescuing the over 200 Chibok girls who were abducted 6 months ago by the nihilist boko haram sect.”

A Federal Capital Territory High Court, in Abuja, last week delivered a judgment declaring the ban by Mbu as illegal, null and void on the ground that it constituted an infringement of the fundamental rights of the campaigners to freedom of assembly and expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

Falana said that despite the judicial indictment, the police boss had not deemed it fit to call Mbu to order for his “reckless abuse of police powers.”

“Thirdly, you caused the security details of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to be withdrawn last week on the ground that he had decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.

“As if that was enough, you decided to usurp the judicial powers of the federation which are exclusively vested in the courts by section 6 of the Constitution when you claimed that the Speaker had lost his office and seat as a federal legislator having contravened section 68 (1) (g) of the Constitution.

“By your illegal pronouncement you disregarded section section 50 (2) (c) thereof which stipulates that the Speaker of the House of Representatives can only be removed by a resolution passed by votes on not less that two thirds majority of the members of the House.”

Falana said that the Inspector-General’s actions and utterances exposed the Police to “unwarranted ridicule” from Nigerians, considering that when legislators in Ondo State elected on the platform of the Labour Party (LP) decamped to the PDP last month, the police did not declare their seats vacant.

“In particular, you did not withdraw the security details of Honourable Jumoke Akindele, the Speaker who led her colleagues to dump the LP for the PDP,” said Falana.

“In the same vein, Honourable Ahmadu Fintiri, the Speaker of the Adamawa State House of Assembly and his colleagues who decamped from the PDP to the APC and have since returned to PDP. You did not have cause to declare their seats vacant. Neither have you withdrawn the security details of the Honourable Fintiri.”

Falana said that by subjecting Tambuwal to selective persecution on the grounds that he decamped from the ruling party, the police violated his fundamental right to freedom from discrimination.

“As you are no doubt aware, it is a breach of section 42 (1) of the Constitution and Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to subject any citizen of Nigeria of a political opinion to disabilities, deprivation and restrictions to which other citizens who hold alternative views or opinions are not made subject.

“Since the security details of other Speakers who decamped from the APC and LP to the PDP have not been withdrawn those of Honourable Tambuwal were illegally withdrawn. They ought to be restored without any further delay.”

Falana further stated that the harassment meted out to Mr. Tambuwal by the police were on the orders of the Presidency
“But having regard to section 215 (3) of the Constitution which enjoins you to carry out the ‘lawful directions’ of the President of the Republic with respect to the maintenance and securing of public safety and public order the actions taken on the Speaker are illegal and unconstitutional in every material particular.

“Therefore, you should withdraw your pronouncement on the office and seat of Honourable Aminu Tambuwal and advise the ruling party to seek redress in the Federal High Court on the constitutional implications of the defection.

“Furthermore, unless he is removed by his colleagues in the House of Representatives or by a competent court in the land Honourable Tambuwal remains the Speaker of the House. Neither the Police nor any other agency of the Federal Government can be allowed to resort to self help on the matter.”

Falana also urged the police boss to resign if he is not prepared to discharge his constitutional responsibilities without fear or favour.

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Prof. Jega said INEC was ready to organise polling in the three states under emergency rule because of Islamist attacks.

He said Nigeria can hold elections in February even if Boko Haram violence makes voting impossible in parts of the northeast, arguing that the disenfranchisement of thousands of people would not undermine the entire vote.

Based on current security assessments, the 57-year-old former academic said it was “inconceivable” that unrest could prevent voting throughout Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

But even if the security services ruled out polling stations in areas where the crisis is most intense — including much of Borno and parts of Yobe — the overall credibility of the vote would remain intact, he added.

“I want us… to get one thing clear: not doing an election in one state, it is unlikely to affect the outcome of the election nationally,” he said in an interview in Abuja.

Boko Haram is believed to be in control of more than two dozen towns and villages in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa although the situation could change significantly before polling day on February 14, 2015.

The United Nations has said that more than 600,000 people have been displaced by the conflict and will face huge challenges to return to their home districts to vote.

President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to declare his re-election bid in the coming weeks and analysts say the conflict-wracked northeast will vote overwhelmingly against him.

Human rights lawyer Festus Keyamo agreed with Jega that the de facto disenfranchisement of tens of thousands of likely opposition voters would not necessarily nullify the presidential result, especially if the margins are wide.
But, he said, Senate and lower house results in the affected areas would be invalid.

Some analysts have voiced concern that securing the northeast on election day will require a massive military deployment, leaving other flashpoint areas vulnerable, especially the religiously divided central states which have seen political violence before.

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Jega who made this statement, on Thursday, when he delivered a lecture titled “Stakeholders and the Electoral Process in Nigeria,” during an event by the Department of Sociology, University of Lagos, said that the use of card readers would detect impersonation at polling units.

He explained that on election day polling officers would ask voters to authentic their statuses by carrying out fingerprints via the machines.

Jega said fake voters would be detected by the machines and that they would not be allowed to vote.

“If you buy voter cards, you can’t use them on voting day because the mechanism we are putting in place in every polling unit will detect fraud and whoever that was involved will be arrested on the spot for electoral fraud and prosecution.”

The electoral commission chairman described the recent Osun State governorship poll as the best election so far, adding that the commission will not rest on its laurels.

He said efforts were on to make the Adamawa State governorship election coming up in October better than the Osun election.

Jega said that “An Election Risk Management Tool, designed with support from the African Union and International IDEA has been deployed ahead of 2015 to enable the commission to gather information about risk factors associated with elections; be able to analyse them and deploy effective measures to contain or mitigate those factors, towards ensuring peaceful and violence-free elections.

“All guidelines and regulations on the electoral process are being revised while discussion has commenced with legal experts across the country on how to enact and gazette them.”

Present at the occasion were the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics and Research), UNILAG, Professor Babajide Alo, Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Professor John Obafunwa, and Canadian High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Perry Calderwood.

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Jega gave the support Tuesday at a public hearing organised by the lower legislative chamber.

The National Assembly had in its proposed amendment sought the insertion of a new paragraph (b) into Section 29(1) of the Electoral Act to limit the role played by the military to “securing the distribution and delivery of electoral materials”.

President Goodluck Jonathan has come under criticisms over the heavy deployment of security forces in Ekiti and Osun States during governorship elections there in June and August respectively, with the opposition All Progressives Congress accusing the security operatives of giving support to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Jonathan and the acting Inspector General of Police, Suleiman Abba, had defended the deployment in Osun State for the August 9 election, saying it was meant to forestall malpractices and break down of law and order.

At the public hearing organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Jega said the proposed bill would indeed ensure that a level playing field was provided for all participants in the electoral process and that it was in agreement with what obtains all over the world.

“On the insertion of a new Section 29 (1) (b) to empower INEC to control security agencies at election time, there are a few countries that are doing this because they feel it is a good practice,” he said.

“In fact, in some of the countries, the entire management of the security forces in the period of the election is given to the electoral management body. We did not recommend this because people are already accusing us of taking too much power. But if other stakeholders agree with this recommendation, it would help sanitise the electoral process.”

The INEC chairman also backed a proposed amendment of the Act to pave way for the introduction of Electronic and Diaspora voting as well as the extension of the time to conduct run-off election for the offices of the president and governor.

He called for a shift of the conduct of a run0ff election from seven days to three weeks and 41 days. According to him, this was the practice in other democracies.

Jega however ruled out the possibility of Nigerians in the Diaspora voting during the 2015 general elections because of the late amendment of the 1999 Constitution, adding however that they would be accommodated in future elections.

On the electronic voting, the INEC chairman, who disclosed that the Commission proposed 23 amendments to the Electoral Act 2006, said it would not also be used in the 2015 poll.

Declaring the public hearing open, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, said the amendment process was aimed at providing a level playing field for the next elections.

According to him, this would ensure free, fair and credible conduct of the polls.

“As we approach the date for national general elections, it is important that we tidy up every aspect of the regulations governing the conduct of our elections.

“We believe that if our electoral law is technically and morally sound, it will go a long way in ensuring that we have free and fair elections in 2015 and beyond. For the avoidance of doubt, the purpose of this Act is to ensure a level playing field for all participants in the electoral process and for a more transparent process of conducting elections in Nigeria,” the speaker said.

“In a way, it is sad that 15 years after the return of our great country to democratic rule we are still talking about free and fair elections, autonomy of INEC, legal frame work of states’ INEC, time frame of elections, participation of physically challenged persons in our elections, conduct of politicians, internal party democracy, order of elections, voters’ registration and accreditation, and debates by candidates, just to mention a few.

“However, we must look at democracy as a journey towards establishing for our nation a more perfect system of government. So, at every stage, we must be willing to take corrective measures that will ensure that we do not miss our way and arrive at the wrong destination.”

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The period, he said, would enable every registered voter collect his/her PVC.

Prof. Jega made the disclosure while addressing a joint interactive meeting of the INEC and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Abuja.

Jega also said the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) would also take place to give room for those who turned 18 years to register and vote.

During the CVR exercise, those who have lost their Temporary Voter Cards (TVC) and cannot be located on the data base would also have the opportunity to have their biometrics captured and cards issued subsequently.

Regarding the ongoing restructuring in the commission, he explained that the screening of Electoral Officers (EOs) across the country would soon be concluded and the “commission will know those that would stay as EOs and those who will be replaced.”

The INEC boss said the commission had resolved to ensure credibility and prompt service delivery through internal restructuring of its personnel and policies.

He noted that the Civil Society Desk of the commission had through the restructuring exercise been upgraded as a division so as to add value to the job of the INEC.

“Placing round pegs in round holes”, he said formed part of the restructuring as the members of staff had been placed according to their professions and expertise so that the 2015 election would be successful.

According to him, “no stone would be left unturned in order that 2015 election is better than that of 2011”.

He explained that both internal and external reviews of the conduct of the 2011 general election was done with a view to highlighting its strengths and weaknesses.

Consequently, he added that the commission had learnt a lot of lessons from the mistakes of the past and was poised to make the 2015 election better than the 2011 general election.

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