INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega
The
Independent National Electoral Commission has said it may spend at
least $7.9 on each of the 73.5 million electorate in its register for
the 2015 elections.
The amount was estimated at N93bn when converted to naira and multiplied by the numbers of registered voters.
The INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru
Jega, stated this on Monday at a statekeholders forum organised by the
Senate Committee on INEC, in collaboration with the Policy and Legal
Advocacy Centre, Abuja and the United Kingdom Department for
International Development.
He also hinted that the elections might be conducted either in January or February 2015 instead of April.
Jega said, “Our estimate is that the
cost of election per voter, which is an international standard for
viewing the cost of elections is coming down in Nigeria. We project that
for the 2015 elections, this would come further down by almost $1 from
$8.8 in 2011 to $7.9, representing almost a 10 per cent drop.
“This compares favourably with some
other African countries. However, we are anxious about all our funding
requirements being met well in advance of the 2015 general elections.”
He said that the $8 per voter spent by the country in the 2011 polls was normal.
According to Jega, Ghana during its
last election, spent between $10 and $12 per voter while Kenya spent
between $8 and $ 9 per voter.
He described funding as one of the
challenges facing INEC as it prepares for the 2015 elections that
would see 73.5 million Nigerians participating.
“In preparing for the forthcoming
elections, one guiding principle for the commission has been to make
elections more cost-effective and to give Nigerians better value for
money,” the INEC chairman stated.
He noted that apart from funding
challenges, there was the problem of insecurity which could affect the
conduct of elections in some states in the North- East where insurgency
was being currently experienced.
He said, “Unless security situation changes in the zone, the commission would not conduct elections in there.
“It is my hope that the challenges in
the North-East will be resolved before 2015. If the security is such
that we cannot do election, then we may need to fall back on the law to
suspend it or postpone it.”
Jega also said that INEC would not conduct elections under a period of emergency.
He said, “The situation under a state
of emergency is that you cannot conduct a free and fair election.
Ideally, you cannot conduct election under a period of emergency.”
Jega added that one of the most depressing challenges of elections in Nigeria was that they were akin to a war.
He said, “Pre-election violence has led
to the death of many politicians, their supporters and innocent
citizens. Widespread intimidation of voters persists and organised thugs
spread fear across communities in the build up to elections.
“In any case, elections in Nigeria are a
winner-takes-all affair, while the loser loses everything akin to
payment of reparations by an enemy defeated in a war. In fact, election
security has become a lasting issue facing the management of elections
in Nigeria.
“Several security threats now
characterise the electoral process. These include physical attacks on
INEC officials and facilities, attacks on security personnel on
election duty, misuse of security orderlies by politicians, attacks on
political opponents, cyber attacks targeting INEC’s databases,
especially the voter register and violence during electioneering.
Other threats are intimidation of voters, snatching and destruction of
election materials, among others.
“These threats are now exacerbated by
insecurity in some parts of the country, thereby making the conduct of
elections in those parts even more insecure.”
The INEC chairman added that the
attitude of the political class was also another problem giving the
commission a major headache.
“We are concerned about this because
even if the management of elections meets the highest standards, insofar
as the contestants are unwilling to play by the rules, there will be
grave problems,” he stated.
Jega said that apart from the key
challenges, there were what he described as residual problems like the
delay in the amendment to the 1999 Constitution and Electoral Act; the
completion of the review of electoral constituencies and polling units
and the prosecution of election offenders.
The INEC chief, who said that 200
electoral offenders had been prosecuted, added that the establishment
of a body to handle electoral offences was imperative.
He said, “This remains a major sticking
point in the work of the commission. We have repeatedly noted that the
commission lacks the capacity to prosecute the huge number of offenders.
“We hope that our proposal for the
establishment of an independent body to deal with electoral offences
which is also in the report of the Election Reform Committee will
materialise.”
The Chairman Senate Committee on INEC,
Andy Ubah, said the committee was interested in suggestions on how “we
can address the issue of Nigerians abroad who desire to contribute to
the democratic development and participate in elections.”
He also suggested the idea of
introducing e-voting and making adequate provisions for persons living
with any form of disability to vote.
Members of different political parties and civil society organisations attended the stakeholders’ meeting.
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