#Nigeriadecides
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Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, says he will not continue in office even if his tenure is renewed
NIGERIANS who are aggrieved over the outcome of the March 28 presidential and National Assembly election will be happy to know that Attahiru Jega, chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has no plan to continue in office. Jega has said he would not accept a tenure renewal when his appointment expires in June. He stated this in an interview with the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC, on Thursday, April 2
Prior to the presidential and National Assembly election, some Nigerians had protested and urged the federal government to sack Jega because of the shoddy and lopsided distribution of the permanent voters card in the North and the South, which was bound to disenfranchise many voters. Some also asked him to resign his job as they had no confidence in him to hold an impartial election.
But Jega had said that he would not resign. “I am grateful to God. I was asked to come and contribute my own quota to the national development and I have done my bit to the best of my ability. Whatever assignment one will do for five years – just like this difficult one, to me if one is able to successfully accomplish the task, someone else should be given the opportunity, because for me I am not interested and if I am requested to serve again, I will not do it, by God’s grace,” he said.
Jega, was appointed as the chairman of the commission in June 2010 by President Goodluck Jonathan. INEC under his chairmanship conducted 2011 and 2015 general elections which were claimed to be free, fair and credible by local and international observers even though it was marred by logistics problems, under-aged voting, and other irregularities.
— Apr. 13, 2015 @ 01:00 GMT
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