The plot to remove the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Attahiru Jega, has thickened as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council (PDPPCO) yesterday finally alleged that he is working with the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the forthcoming election.
Director of media of the PDPPCO, Femi Fani-Kayode, who made the allegation during a press conference, further alleged that Jega met with some leaders of the APC in Dubai.
However, when asked to provide evidence of these allegations, Fani-Kayode declined, noting that he was aware that the allegations were weighty and would expect Jega to react.
He threatened to pass a vote of no confidence on Jega if he fails to respond to the allegations of partisanship and live up to his responsibilities as an independent electoral umpire.
This is coming against the background of alleged moves to either force the INEC chairman to resign or make him proceed on terminal leave from March 1, in anticipation of the end of his tenure in office on June 30.
However, the spokesman of the PDPPCO stated that Jega deliberately refused to tell Nigerians the whole truth about the postponement, “thus providing the APC a questionable platform to accuse us of complicity in the decision to postpone the elections”.
He added that the statistics of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection for states and geo-political zones before the postponement of the elections buttressed “Jega’s contrived grand conspiratorial alliance with the APC to fraudulently secure victory in the elections”.
He continued, “We must state here and again that the decision to postpone the elections was INEC’s since it is constitutionally saddled with that responsibility.
“The commission has done just that and it had at the press conference hinted that it was having challenges with the distribution and collection of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs). The commission had claimed substantial readiness for the general elections despite that as at 5th February, 2015, the total number of PVCs collected was 45, 829, 808, representing 66.58% of the total number of registered voters.
“We had immediately commended the INEC on the grounds that the postponement would enable the 23 million eligible voters who had not collected their PVCs to do so before the new dates announced for the elections.
“But we have now realised how Professor Jega had disingenuously presented the reasons for the postponement of the elections at the press conference, making it look as if the problem was mainly security. We would like to say that the major issue that informed INEC’s decision was the deliberate attempt by the commission to disenfranchise over 23 million eligible voters who are yet to collect their PVCs.
“The matter is that INEC has failed in its responsibility to produce and distribute PVCs to about 34 per cent of registered voters who would require the cards to vote in the elections. “We express our concerns today that Jega may have decided to aid the APC to rig the forthcoming elections through the manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs such that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their PVCs whilst the parts of the country that would traditionally vote for the APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, are already armed with their PVCs.
We Don’t Join Issues With Political Parties – INEC
Meanwhile, The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday asked the PDP to produce evidence that its chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, is working with the opposition APC.
The chief press secretary to the INEC chairman, Kayode Idowu, said as much as the commission does not join issues with political parties, any allegations made against its chairman must be backed by evidence.
“INEC does not join issues with political parties. If you have evidence of such activity, bring it forward.
“INEC is an umpire. It cannot afford to be joining issues with political parties it is umpiring, otherwise you will not be able to do its job. This commission is focused on conducting elections on March 28 and April 11. We will not be distracted”, he said.
“Our Campaign Organisation would want Professor Jega to answer the following questions:
“Why are the PVC collection rates in the North Central, South-South, South West and South East much lower with the highest being 57%? Is it because these geopolitical zones may be pro-Jonathan? Why does the North West zone which includes Katsina (Buhari’s home state) have the highest collection rate of 80%?
“How come the North East also has 75% collection rate when, in fact, three states in this zone, Adamawa, Borno and Yobe, have been under the attack of Boko Haram insurgents, a development that has led to the displacement of many residents? Did the Internally Displaced Persons come back there to collect their PVCs?
“Why is it that North Central zone, which includes states like Plateau and Benue that traditionally vote PDP, has a collection rate of 48% when North East and North West have between 75 and 80% collection rates?
“INEC would have us believe that as far back as January 2014, the PVC distribution would be done in phases.
”Can Jega explain to Nigerians how Kano, Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna and Katsina, which were slated for Phase 3 and actually kicked off in November 2014, have achieved a 75-80% PVC collection rate whilst many states slated for Phases 1 and 2 and even some others in Phase 3 are still in the 40-50% collection rate range?”
Commenting on the allegation that Jega held meetings with APC stalwarts, Fani-Kayode said “pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters. Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections. These PVCs are still in China and Prof Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations.
“Can Prof Jega show Nigerians proof that the Chinese company printing the PVCs has been paid in full by disclosing the total contract sum and the amount paid to date? Can Prof Jega show proof of arrival or expected date of arrival of all PVCs for the elections? Can Prof Jega tell Nigerians how he could have distributed 23 million PVCs within 5days to election if there hadn’t been a postponement?”
“The pieces are beginning to fall into place:Could this be why Prof Jega has refused to allow citizens use their temporary voter cards despite pleas from the National Assembly and well-meaning Nigerians? Does it make sense to disenfranchise 23 million citizens (a third of the eligible voters) because INEC says it wants to avoid rigging? The 2011 elections were adjudged the most transparent by Nigerians, the international community and the INEC chairman himself without the use of PVCs. So what has changed?
“Is this why APC leaders and members insist on non-postponement of the elections even when they know that 23 million Nigerians may not vote? Do they know something we do not know?
“Prof Jega said on National Television on 23rd of January 2015 that INEC is doing everything possible to ensure that before the end of January all the cards have been produced and made available. That deadline of end of January has come and gone and we still do not have the PVCs. Is he being sincere?
“We hereby challenge Prof Jega to be honourable and transparent. He should publish accurate information on the state of PVCs: how many PVCs are in the country? Where are they located state by state? When would the others arrive from China? How does he plan to distribute them before elections?”
”Prof Jega should respond to these allegations of partisanship and ineptitude, and live up to his responsibilities as an independent election umpire. If he refuses to do so, we may end up losing confidence in him.”
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