EKITI ELECTION WILL BE BEST IN NIGERIA- JEGA
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has assured the people of Ekiti State that the June 21 governorship election to be conducted by the commission would be the best in the country.
The INEC boss gave the assurance in Ado-Ekiti, during an election stakeholders’ meeting with all the political parties involved in the election. Speaking at the meeting attended by all the registered political parties, royal fathers, religious leaders, security operatives – the police, State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and several other members and sympathisers of each of the political parties, Jega said the commission will conduct a better election compared to the recent experience in Anambra State governorship election.
“We are determined and we are prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election in Ekiti State, and in doing this, it is also requires the cooperation of all the stakeholders. We will do our best to ensure that we are not partisan, that we are unbiased umpire during the process,’’ he said.
Jega also assured the people of the state that it would use the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) in the election. According to the INEC chairman, the commission will commence the voters’ verification and distribution of the PVC as from March 7 to 9 and no fewer than 688, 880 voters in the state will be issued with their voter cards. This he said will help prevent a repeat of the lapses experienced in the Anambra State election. “After what happened in Anambra State election when we tried to experiment with the electronic voting, we have stepped up effort to correct all the shortcomings and improved on it, the Ekiti and Osun States election will use the PVC,” he stated.