Shake-up Looms in INEC

Written by This Day Wednesday, 14 July 2010 04:16

A major reorganisation is underway at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the commission’s Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega and his national commissioners hold a crucial meeting tomorrow in Calabar, Cross River State. 

The meeting is to reposition the body ahead of the 2011 polls, THISDAY learnt.

In the meantime, the Senate yesterday confirmed two more nominees for appointment as INEC national commissioners.
The two, Dr. Abdulkadir Suleiman Oniyangi from Kwara (North-central) and Hajia Amina Bala Zakari from Jigawa (North-west), could not be screened alongside Jega and six new national commissioners on June 22 and 23 due to the delay in getting their security clearance.

Competent sources at the commission said though the reorganisation move is coming under the aegis of an executive retreat, the repositioning plan is so serious that only Jega and his commissioners are attending the parley.

No director or staff of the commission except Jega and the commissioners are attending the retreat, the sources said.
The retreat, which will enable INEC undertake a comprehensive assessment of the state of its readiness for the tasks ahead, is to hold from July 15 to 17.

During the retreat, INEC leadership will review the state of its general administration and personnel, the existing departments, the budget vis-à-vis assets and liabilities as well as the general framework for voter enlightenment, voter registration, logistics and ICT infrastructure.

The commission will also consider the appropriate strategy for the conduct of elections at polling units, procedure for documentation and announcement of results as well as the reorientation of its workforce.
THISDAY learnt that the decisions at the retreat may likely lead to a major reorganisation of INEC personnel nationwide.

Already, the commission is said to have indicated that directors who have served up to eight years at the commission may be shown the way out in line with a circular from the Head of Service of the federation Mr. Steve Oronsaye based on the news civil service reforms, though some have argued that INEC is a statutory body and not within the regular civil service structure. 

The Jega-led commission will also brainstorm on other issues such as arrangements for training, monitoring of political parties and relationship with national and international bodies such as National Youth Service Corp (NYSC), National Orientation Agency (NOA), European Union (EU), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), United Nations (UN), and United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) etc.
With the clearance of Oniyangi and Zakari, INEC now has 10 national commissioners - eight new ones and two others from the Maurice Iwu era-.

Two of the original nominees, Gen. Abdullahi Bagudu Mamman (rtd) and Ambassador Mohammed Anka, were dropped by President Goodluck Jonathan on account of their alleged partisan status. They are yet to be replaced.

The six who had earlier been cleared by the Senate have since assumed duties having been sworn in by the President late June. They are, Engr. Nuru Yakubu (Yobe) – North-east, Col. M.K. Hammanga (Adamawa) – North-east, Dame Gladis Nne Nwafor (Abia) – South-east, Dr. Ismail Igbani (re-appointed) (Rivers) – South-south, Mrs. Thelma Iremiren (Delta) – South-south, and Prof. Lai Olurode (Osun) – South-west.

Answering questions from senators at yesterday’s screening, Oniyangi, a medical doctor and Zakari, a pharmacist, pledged to discharge their duties with a high sense of integrity.
Oniyangi, who was the first to face the senators, said he would carry out his duties to the best of his abilities if confirmed.
He also pledged that the new crop of INEC leadership would do its best to give the country a free, fair and credible election Nigerians would be proud of.

On her part, Zakari while responding to a question on the feasibility of the much-canvassed electronic voting system said “Nigerians should be properly educated first before we think of introducing e-voting.”
She said if elections were credible and every voter’s vote counts, the country does not have to waste time and resources on prolonged post-election litigations.

Senate President David Mark enjoined the new INEC commissioners to join hands with their colleagues “to ensure there are free, fair and credible elections in the country.”
Meanwhile, INEC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) seem to be on a collision course on the recognition or non-recognition of congresses in some states.

INEC had raised issues over the party’s congresses in Bayelsa, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Plateau and Oyo states.
But PDP has advised the affected state chapters to remain calm.

PDP had earlier in a letter through its then Acting National Chairman Dr. Bello Haliru Mohammed titled “Inconclusive PDP Congresses", dated 8 June 2010 sought clarifications from INEC on its position on the party’s congresses in the affected states.
INEC had in a letter through its Secretary Abdullahi Kaugama dated June 23 with reference no. INEC/DPP/M&L/PDP/024/Vol.161 listed the state congresses that were not acceptable to it as they did not follow due process and laid down guidelines.
The states are Bayelsa, Enugu, Imo, Kogi, Plateau and Oyo.

However, PDP’s National Working Committee disagreed with the INEC report on the congresses and directed its National Organizing Secretary Chief Uche Secondus to submit to it the status of the party in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Consequently, Secondus, in a memo dated July 1 2010, titled “Status Report on Year 2008 Party Congresses”, gave a detailed report of the state congresses, which differed from INEC report.
For instance, whereas INEC said the congress in Delta State was not acceptable to it, the PDP report said, “Congress election was conducted in Delta State. Monitoring report says state executives emerged by consensus and harmonization and this was confirmed by the National Working Committee (NWC) after several meetings with stakeholders.”

In Edo State, where INEC said the congress was acceptable to it, PDP said though congress was conducted, the “result of the congress is being contested in court.”
Edo State is polarised between two godfathers, Chief Anthony Anenih and Dr. Sam Ogbemudia.
In Adamawa State, the electoral body said the congress was acceptable to it, but PDP said though a congress election was conducted, in Maiha local government, however, there were no executive list, while in Jada local government, the list of ward election is missing.

The same thing is applicable to Girie and Shelleng local government areas where the list of elected congress officials is missing. As a result, PDP in the report said there were several petitions trailing the conduct of the election in the state.
In the South-west zone, PDP said the congresses in Osun, Ogun, Oyo and Ondo were with one problem or another but INEC only faulted the congress in Oyo State.

For instance, PDP said in Osun State that though the congress took place, but ward and local government result sheets were not available despite several reminders to the chairman and members of the electoral panel.
In Ogun State, PDP said only state congress result sheet was available. Others, the party said, were missing. In Ondo state, the report said there were no ward and local government result sheets for Akoko North-east, Akoko North-west, Ifedore, Ilaje, Okitipupa and Ondo-west local governments. INEC, however, certified the congress in the state.

In Enugu State, INEC said there was no congress but PDP insisted a congress took place. It was the same thing with Ebonyi, but whereas in Imo State, PDP said a strange congress list was available without the state congress result sheets while a court restraining order was subsisting during the congresses.

Both INEC and PDP certified the congresses in Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Zamfara as okay.
Also, INEC and PDP said the congress in Bayelsa State did not follow due process and therefore was not acceptable.
In Borno, despite INEC’s approval, PDP said, “post-congress crises remain unresolved.

Harmonization and reconciliation agreements for wards, local government executives are still unconcluded in some local governments”.
In Bauchi State, PDP said “merger agreement between old and new members is yet to be concluded.”

In Taraba State, PDP said though congress was conducted, the executive list in Lau local government, Jimilari local government and Ardo local government were either missing or remain inconclusive.
It also said congress was conducted in Yobe State, but there were no executive lists in Jakusko Local Government Area, Machina Local Government Area, Falimari and Maskandari Local Government Areas of the state.

In a statement issued last night by his Media Assistant, Mr. Ike Abonyi, PDP National Chairman, Dr. Okesilieze Nwodo, however, said the attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) had been drawn to the fact that INEC observation was causing anxiety among members in the affected states.

 “It has come to my notice that the observation of INEC on some of our state congresses is causing some anxiety,” he said. “The NWC is studying the observation and hopes to make its decision public at the appropriate time”.
Nwodo charged members in the affected states not to be distracted as the party’s decision would be communicated to them.