Jega suspends top officials over illegal substitution of candidates’ names

Posted by admin Elections 2011, INEC Politics, NNP Elections 2011 Updates, Okey Ndibe Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega has made good his promise not to spare any official of the Commission found to have compromised himself in the course of duties. Consequently, he has descended on the legal department of the Commission and suspended some top officials for allegedly changing illegally, names of party candidates for elections.

One of the officials, a female Assistant Director in the department (names withheld) suspected to be the head of the syndicate, which trades with names of candidates with the use of fictitious court orders has been suspended indefinitely.
Reliable sources at the INEC told Daily Sun that the affected officials were discovered to be behind illegal fiddling with candidates’ lists through incessant changes of names of candidates even when there were no court orders necessitating such.

The officials have been allegedly interrogated by the Police and the operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) following outcries by some candidates whose names were substituted even when their parties did not seek for such or have any problem with their nomination. Daily Sun reliably learnt that the decision by Jega to interdict the affected officials was in line with the reports from the two security agencies indicting them of culpability in illegal substitution of candidates’ names.

When contacted, the INEC Chairman’s Chief Press Secretary, Kayode Idowu denied knowledge of the development saying, “I am not aware.” A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senatorial candidate in Anambra, Chief John Emeka, had lodged a complain when his name was substituted on the order of a court, which his lawyer was later found to be fake.

It was in the process of investigations that it was discovered that a cartel existed in the Commission which specializes in production of fake court order and INEC stamp. Only two days ago, the INEC Chairman restated his resolve not to spare any staff of the Commission found to have connived with politicians to sabotage the electoral process. Meanwhile, Prof. Jega has appealed to all Nigerains to give his Commission maximum cooperation and endure inconveniences they might arise during the presidential election tomorrow.

He stated that no amount of sacrifice would be too much to ensure that the electoral process was credible. The INEC boss made the appeal while addressing a delegation of the European Election Observation Mission which paid him a courtesy visit at the Abuja Headquarters of the commission yesterday.

On the preparation for the election, he disclosed that the procedures for voting would be strictly complied with, adding that accreditation of voters would be strengthene “Our hope is that the presidential election would be better conducted than what obtained last Saturday. We are committed to strengthening the commission’s logistics,” she said.

In his response, the spokesman of the European Union’s Election Observation Team, Mr Alojz Peterle, a former President of Slovenia said the group was encouraged by the utterances of Prof. Jega, especially his promise that the electoral process would improve with each election.

-Sunwp_posts