RUNNER-UP: How Jega emerged a man of history

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Attahiru Jega gestures during an interview with Reuters in Nigeria's federal capital Abuja January 28, 2011. Nigeria is on track to

compile a credible voter register ahead of nationwide elections in April despite attempts in some volatile regions to manipulate the process, Jega said on Friday. To match Interview NIGERIA-ELECTION/ REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde (NIGERIA - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

THE year 2015 would always be remembered as an election year. All citizens looked forward to the elections, expecting that there would be great improvement over the standard attained in 2011. The elections would be judged by the conduct of electoral personnel, decisions of the electoral commission and deployment of materials.

At the centre of it all is the man called Muhammadu Attahiru Jega, one soft spoken but tough public official set over the Independent National Electoral Commission as national chairman. When Professor Jega was appointed national chairman of the Commission  in June 2010, the country received the news with mixed feelings. Some of his admirers thought he had accepted an assignment that could only tarnish his glittering image and credentials as none of his predecessors left office with their reputations intact. Prior to the appointment by President Goodluck Jonathan, the image of the electoral commission over which Professor Maurice Iwu presided was horrible. But, Professor Jega, being a prominent member of the Justice Uwais Electoral Reform Committee that looked into the systems and mechanisms of conducting elections in the country, assumed office with full appreciation of the daunting challenge he was taking on. He was already, also, a Professor of Political Science, one who had written papers on the subject over the years. He therefore had his work well cut out for him.

Yet, many of his admirers were apprehensive about how the former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, would end up doing the thankless job.

But, the sincerity of theman saw him through and that prepared him for 2015. In a way, therefore, the 2011 polls represented dress rehearsal for this year’s.

By this year, Jega had learnt the ropes and some lessons. He knew his five-year term was running out and had his gaze fixed on the finishing line. He wanted to end well and strong. Despite apparent attempts by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to get him act in its favour, the INEC chairman could not be moved. He insisted that the commission would only be guided by the provisions of the constitution; the grundnorm. All suggestions that the election be postponed by six months to two years ostensibly to accommodate far-reaching reforms were rebutted by him. He only grudgingly acceded to a six-week shift on the request of the security agencies who said they would need the time to put the necessary mechanism for backing the commission in place.

The positive stubbornness of the former INEC boss came to the fore again when, having conducted the presidential election, pressure was mounted on him to cancle same for frivolous reasons. He stood his ground maturely and statemanly as Godson Orubebe, a minister, played pranks and engaged in theatrics. Professor Jega’s perseverance wore out the minister and his supporters who had thought the INEC chairman would play into his hands by resorting to the use of force.

The innovation brought to conducting elections through new technology went a long way in safeguarding the integrity of the 2015 polls to the credit of Jega’s leadership. The card reader made it difficult to inflate the votes in many parts of the country. Also important was the Permanent Voter cards that had biometrics embedded. The caard reader had been programmed to read the finger prints of the voter and match the face. The device knocked off previous pranks of politicians to get the ballot box stuffed. Codes for various wards, local governments and states made it more difficult for would-be hijackers to move ballt boxes and papers across designated stations and territories.

Professor Jega showed he had brought his learning to bear on the process. He worked tirelessly. He soaked up pressure; learnt from mistakes and proved to be a patriot. This has left a huge challenge for his successor, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, who got his baptism in the Kogi and Bayelsa  governorship elections. It is too early to assess Professor Yakubu.

As Professor Jega indicated in a lecture recently, there is still so much to be done if elections in Nigeria were to approximate international standards. The provision in the Electoral Act forbidding the use of electronic voting has to go, even if that would come a little later. In the interim, the challenges posed by malfunctioning card readers must be overcome. Diaspora voting cannot be overlooked as a sizeable population of Nigerians live abroad.

For now, it must be said that Professor Jega has written his name in gold in the record of election superintendency. Under him, an incumbent lost the presidential election and the ruling party was dethroned in many states. It is a mark considered unattainable by many compatriots even as recent as March this year. Henceforth, the voter knows he holds the ace in an election.

Professor Attahiru Jega made his mark and dominated the news for much of the year. How he resolved all controversies, including speculations that he was about resigning before the election or that he would jettison the PVC and card reader in conducting the polls, and, ultimately having the courage to declare general Muhammadu Buhari of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) as winner of the presidential election, made him an outstanding man of the year.

The appointment of Professor Jega was meant to buy popularity for Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Jonathan could not wait for the expiration of Iwu’s tenure before forcing him to exit the stage. And, then, Professor Jega was handed the task of sanitizing the situation and restoring credibility to the electioneering process.

The Jonathan administration could not hand Professor Jega all he needed to conduct a flawless general election in 2011. Time itself was a major constraint. It was obvious that, as things stood, the legal framework was a constraint, yet the National Assembly needed time to conclude the review of the Electoral Act as well as amend relevant provisions of the constitution. Appropriation was another high hurdle. Logistics had always constituted an obstacle to conductingcredible polls. While the INEC chairman preferred to conduct the elections not later than January 2011, he ended up doing so in April. The register was not fully ready and the ballot papers were delivered so late that the first set of elections was bungled.

Thenation