Postpone 2011 General Election: El-Rufai

Former Federal Capital Territory minister, Nasir El-Rufai, has called for the postponement of the 2011 general elections and the May 29 handover date.

While speaking on ‘Credible voters register’ at a conference organised by Change Nigeria Project and the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, yesterday, Mr. El-Rufai stated that the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, should be given all the resources necessary, including time, to achieve his aim of reforming the electoral body and preparing a credible voters register.

The campaign has started

“We may have to ask the people in the National Assembly to amend the constitution, to give him (Mr. Jega) the time he needs to reform INEC,” the former minister said.

He also warned Nigerians not to put all hope of a free and fair election on the INEC chairman and the new INEC board because of the short time and limited resources at their disposal.

“Let us not expect too much from one man. We are expecting too much from one man and a few people, and I think it is not possible,” he said.

Tunde Bakare, the convener of the SNG, advised Mr. Jega to be forthcoming on his new position. Mr. Bakare, who is also the spiritual leader of the Latter Rain Assembly, stated that Mr. Jega, being the eleventh Nigerian to supervise the nation’s electoral body since independence, should not disappoint Nigerians in 2011. He said that Nigeria was in its eleventh hour and the activities of Mr. Jega could make or mar the country in next year’s general elections.

Almami Cyllahi, the African director of the International Foundation of Electoral Systems, explained that INEC “should not be solely held responsible for the accuracy of the voters register.”

“Until we continue to look at elections as a cycle, rather than an event, we will be getting it wrong all the time,” said Mr. Cyllahi, the Sierra Leonean.

Don’t expect credible elections in January

Former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, who spoke on ‘conducting free and fair elections in 2011,’ explained that Mr. Jega could not really influence the conduct of the 2011 elections.

“He has been handed mission impossible. The chairman of INEC has little or no bearing on the success of an election,” he said.

Mr. Duke noted that based on his experience as a governor, it was the presiding officers at the over 120,000 polling booths in Nigeria that could manipulate elections most. He called for a more technologically driven electioneering process and voter registration.

While calling for support and more time to be given to Mr. Jega to do his job, Mr. Duke noted that “we cannot have credible elections in January. We can have elections, but they may not be credible.”