CODER rejects choice of Jega as INEC chair
By Emmanuel OladesuPublished TodayNewsRating: Unrated

CODER The Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), yesterday, rejected the appointment of the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano (BUK), Prof Attahiru Jega, as Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The group described the appointment as "unfortunate", saying that it was a mockery of the campaign of the civil society for electoral reforms.

The Coordinator of the group, Mr Ayo Opadokun, said that the appointment process dishonoured the fine recommendations of the Uwais panel on Electoral Reforms set up by the Yar’Adua Administration.

He said that the frontline Political Scientist may have been attacked by the INEC virus as a consultant to the electoral umpire.

Opadokun doubted if a free and fair election can be guaranteed by President Goodluck Jonathan, who appointed Jega as the INEC boss when he and his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are interested forces in the 2011 general elections.

‘We have always insisted that, using the current law to appoint a new electoral commission, is like rigging from the source because the sitting executive is partisan. The President and PDP are interested in the next election. Is it fair to ask one of the parties in the contest to appoint the electoral umpire?

‘When Attahiru Jega was the President of ASUU, Maurice Iwu was the deputy Chairman. When Iwu became the chairman, Jega became a consultant to INEC. How can such a man with such a past inspire confidence in Nigerians that he will conduct a free and fair election,? he queried.

Former Chief Whip of the House of Representatives in the Third Republic, Hon Wale Oshun, said that it would have been better for the President to follow the process recommended by the Uwais Committee.

The Action congress (AC) chieftain noted that it was the first time a Northerner would occupy the position. He lamented that Dr Jonathan was toeing the path of his predecessor, the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and PDP which had insisted that the President should retain the appointing authority.

But he said that, since the university don has been appointed, the onus is on him to demonstrate credibility and handle the new assignment with courage and integrity.

" It has smashed the myth that the chairman has always been appointed from the South. It is beautiful that he is from the North. His track record as a unionist in the academic stands him in good stead. He has fought for the good of the members of the academic. He should now fight for the good of Nigerians. He needs courage," Oshun added.

Why cant we get things straight in this country, are we cursed?

What about the Uwais report?

Jonathan Jonathan Jonathan!!!

IT IS STILL BUSINESS AS USUAL!OUR LEADERS ARE SO INGENIOUSLY ANACRONISTIC AND MISCHIEVIOUS!What they give with the right hand,they collect with the left hand.

Osama10:

What about the Uwais report?

Jonathan Jonathan Jonathan!!!

The Uwais report is with the accursed NASS. Jonathan cannot change the constitution, leave him out of it.

jonathan that removed ogbulafor pdp chair,sent ibori to siberia,almost removed bayelsa governor can not pass ordinary UWAIS report?i dont get it!something is still obviously fishy,its looking more like a hybrid of IBB/OBJ government,tell/give them what they want,compromise THE SYSTEM AND WHO DOESNT FALL IN LINE,SEND ANTI CORRUPTION AGENTS AFTER THEM!Patriotism takes the backsit while self-interest reigns,Lord have mercy!

‘When Attahiru Jega was the President of ASUU, Maurice Iwu was the deputy Chairman. When Iwu became the chairman, Jega became a consultant to INEC. How can such a man with such a past inspire confidence in Nigerians that he will conduct a free and fair election,? he queried.

The quote does not take anything away from the man's credibility. That he had worked with Iwu in the past does not mean he will behave like him.

If the guy had done anything wrong, let us know, else they should give him the chance to do the job.

People should not just be condemned for every flimsy excuse under the sun

^^^ u dont get it,its not the fact that right now,he has not been found wanting,its the fact that the aspirations of most Nigerians to have a clean break from any Iwururu tendencies and/or relationship that has been dashed not for want of people who can perfectly fit our criteria of who should be the inec chair,but our leaders judging from their antecedents,want someone they have something on to use as a bargainning chip.for God's sake there is Gen Ishola williams who is NOT A CONSULTANT to inec!

INEC under iwu was a man-made disaster, everything and everybody the man accepts/embraces is a pro-inec,this may include jega,iwu that did not even approve election monitors that are anti-inec DOES BUSINESS with jega?i still cant place the voice of jega among the many vociferous voices that condemn iwu administration,even yardua complained of IWU.Prof Lai Olurode seems to be the one i can vouch for!

volasunkan:

^^^ u dont get it,its not the fact that right now,he has not been found wanting,its the fact that the aspirations of most Nigerians to have a clean break from any Iwururu tendencies and/or relationship that has been dashed not for want of people who can perfectly fit our criteria of who should be the inec chair,but our leaders judging from their antecedents,want someone they have something on to use as a bargainning chip.for God's sake there is Gen Ishola williams who is NOT A CONSULTANT to inec!

INEC under iwu was a man-made disaster, everything and everybody the man accepts/embraces is a pro-inec,this may include jega,iwu that did not even approve election monitors that are anti-inec DOES BUSINESS with jega?i still cant place the voice of jega among the many vociferous voices that condemn iwu administration,even yardua complained of IWU.Prof Lai Olurode seems to be the one i can vouch for!

Tell them.

volasunkan:

^^^ u dont get it,its not the fact that right now,he has not been found wanting,its the fact that the aspirations of most Nigerians to have a clean break from any Iwururu tendencies and/or relationship that has been dashed not for want of people who can perfectly fit our criteria of who should be the inec chair,but our leaders judging from their antecedents,want someone they have something on to use as a bargainning chip.for God's sake there is Gen Ishola williams who is NOT A CONSULTANT to inec!

So, you prefer a retired general to be INEC chairman abi? And if someone like IBB wins you will come back to state that the general rigged the election for another general.

What do we really want in this country?

volasunkan:

^^^ u dont get it,its not the fact that right now,he has not been found wanting,its the fact that the aspirations of most Nigerians to have a clean break from any Iwururu tendencies and/or relationship that has been dashed not for want of people who can perfectly fit our criteria of who should be the inec chair,but our leaders judging from their antecedents,want someone they have something on to use as a bargainning chip.for God's sake there is Gen Ishola williams who is NOT A CONSULTANT to inec!

INEC under iwu was a man-made disaster, everything and everybody the man accepts/embraces is a pro-inec,this may include jega,iwu that did not even approve election monitors that are anti-inec DOES BUSINESS with jega?i still cant place the voice of jega among the many vociferous voices that condemn iwu administration,even yardua complained of IWU.Prof Lai Olurode seems to be the one i can vouch for!

I doubt you know Jega that much.

Anyway, he has come to stay as Inec Chair. Time will tell if he will go the way of Iwu or not.

BTW I doubt if there is any man within or outside Naija that can satisfy all Nigerians.

So, you prefer a retired general to be INEC chairman abi? And if someone like IBB wins you will come back to state that the general rigged the election for another general.

What do we really want in this country?

@afam,
this jonathan was part of the govt that set up uwais committee abi?
if jonathan was loyal to yar adua and they were together in their decissions, why all these changes?
for me, i have lost my confidence in pdp far back. do u see a jonathan appointed inec chairman working against him?
this is nigeria my dear.
certain sensitive positions must be made independent of the presidency.
efcc under obasanjo was totally tied to his personal decissons and so also was inec and this uwais electorial reforms recommends the independence of inec and inec's chairman's appointment.
why do we prefer a round about movement?
how far have we gone in our 12 years of uninterupted democracy?
we are not making head-ways hence the need for change.
the day jonathan became president, i made it open here on this forum that obj is back completely on the driving seat.
evidence of this can be seen on the immediate return of the run away criminals(ribadu and el rufai) yet the more we look the less we see.
the next we will see is ribadu as president and el rufai as the vice president.
we are doomed.

chidichris:

@afam,
this jonathan was part of the govt that set up uwais committee abi?
if jonathan was loyal to yar adua and they were together in their decissions, why all these changes?
for me, i have lost my confidence in pdp far back. do u see a jonathan appointed inec chairman working against him?

So, who should appoint the INEC Chairman? And who will he be answerable to? Anyone that appoints him can use you is the person or group wants to do that. This is a fact.

ewe, Is dis d surprise Jonathan has 4 us? Som1 he has nt met (officially) bt they hv bn dinning on one table abi? He has bn advsed wrongly dis time, in fact he has ended up actualizing d presidential ambition of his NSA, Gusau. I wouldnt want to say he is a disappointment to d south!

Prof. Attahiru Jega’s Appointment As INEC Boss: Another Prof. Maurice Iwu Has Emerged PDF | Print | E-mail
Wednesday, 09 June 2010 04:30

We at Intersociety are finally vindicated over recent fears expressed by our Organization that every indication pointed to the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan is searching for an amenable person, a willing tool for that matter, as the new INEC boss. The announcement and confirmation of Prof. Attahiru Jega, a well-known consultant to Prof. Iwu’s INEC, and his close ally, did not come to us as a surprise. When Prof. Jega was ASUU President, Prof. Iwu was his deputy, and when Prof. Iwu became INEC boss, he reportedly made Jega an INEC consultant, which he reportedly remained till date. This latest Presidential blunder has put paid to the perceived shallow promises and assurances, emanating from the President to the effect that the 2011 elections would be credible, and that the new INEC boss would be a highly revered person, who would be widely acceptable to Nigerians, only for the same President to settle for an alleged accomplice in the Iwu’s electoral crimes of unpardonable proportion. During Iwu’s chairmanship of INEC, in which the new INEC boss served as a consultant, Nigerians experienced the worst electoral administration since 1960. Where then lies the promises and assurances by the President at local and international fora regarding credible elections in 2011?

The raw truth is that Nigeria and Nigerians as well as the international community should not fold their hands, waiting for the President and his team to deliver, because, from every indication, they have nothing to offer, with respect to credible elections. As a matter of fact, another chief election rigger has just been recruited. Everything around Prof. Jega does not portray him as the Nigeria’s next messianic electoral umpire.

Also, his preference of INEC job instead of his current BUK vice-chancellorship is suspect, and it is a total indication of his perceived utter zeal for juicy gains, from dirty job to be well-done. If no hidden agenda is so attached, Prof. Attahiru Jega would not have forgone his BUK vice-chancellorship for INEC chairmanship.

Let it also be firmly noted that Prof. Jega is not the nominee of the mainstream Nigerian Civil Society or Human Rights Community, so that in the event of his much expected failures, we shall not be held liable. Except Nigerians and their international friends rise up and force the Presidency and its new amenable INEC leadership to midwife free and fair elections, otherwise, the 2011 elections will be seconded only to the 2007 armada of electoral fraud, if not worse than that. With this discredited appointment of INEC boss, President Jonathan has missed a golden opportunity to prove the electoral reformers wrong to the effect that his appointing powers over INEC helmsman cannot be perpetually abused, by appointing a stooge or a surrogate to that very important position.
Signed:
Emeka Umeagbalasi
Chairman
Board of Trustees
International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law
Onitsha,Nigeria

we should leave jonathan out of this isue and focus it on the legislators.
the legislator in nigeria has been the worst organ of government,unless we change them by voting them out in the nest election
all our ambitiousness to be a powerfull economy in the world will not happen.
'this guys are all old dudes without education and if they got one the bogth it with money for the interest of wining public post.

we need change, jonathan represents that in the excecutive organ of our government,we have a lot of improvement in the judiciary
afterall they corected most of the rigged election at state level, to local councils.
now we need a great change in the legislators,they are the ones that will create the new policies that will change our country and impact our lives
reforms in all section in this country is vital now,i mean now no time is surposed to be wasted.
but in contrary the law makers are more interested in wasting time, favouring each other and looking 4 contacts to steal and figth during sections rather than debate issues and not to be jealous to each other during thus, and set blow to each other.
instead to act as they represent more than 150 million nigerians.

other political parties should emerge to form a strong oposition the present pdp.
our democracy can never be strong if oposition is not united and strong.