At 09:55am on Tuesday the 31st of March, every Nigerian was either fixed to a television, a radio, or on social media- even local viewing centres were occupied by citizens who had no power or were without a television. By 11am, many Nigerians had grown antsy; concerned if the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would proceed with the results announcement. The Chairman of INEC said the previous day that the exercise would resume at 10am. “Where is Jega?” Nigerians asked.
At the International Conference Centre in Abuja, Prof Attahiru Jega, INECs Chairman, took his seat at a table crowded with papers and press microphones. Dressed in his signature attire of a white babban riga and fula cap, a pair of glasses on his nose, complimented with his grey goatee, he addressed the audience, “I apologise for the late commencement of the collation; we need to be painstaking when doing such a job.” The time was 11:18am.
The hall, decked with linens the colors of the Nigerian flag, was full of academics, party agents, and quite a number of local and foreign press engaged in the live broadcast; an event that would either mark the beginning of a new democratic phase, or continuity of the status quo.
On the 8th of June 2010, the National Council of State met at the nation’s capital, Abuja, to consider nominations for the office of the chairman of INEC. Former INEC chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu had been sacked for conducting what is recorded as ‘the worst election in the history of Nigeria’, and the office was in dire need of a worthy replacement. As such, President Jonathan nominated Jega, who the council approved unanimously.
To many, Jega was a great choice, the ‘radical’ that the country’s electoral commission needed. At the time of his appointment, he was best known as the dauntless president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who stood against Babangida’s military government in the early 90s. During his tenure as ASUU president, he spurred the establishment of the Education Tax Fund (ETF), which ensured that companies made contributions towards funding education in tertiary institutions.
Jega is widely respected as an astute intellectual with a rich academic career; one that peaked with his appointment as the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, in 2004. As a professor of political science, he has been a guest lecturer for several national events, one of which is the 2010 May Day celebration hosted by the National Labour Congress (NLC). Jega’s appointment came shortly after this event, where he gave a presentation titled ‘50 Years of Nationhood: Challenges of Good Democratic Governance, Credible Elections and the Working Class.’
His appointment was met with both high expectations and scepticism. While most people had faith in his strong sense of ethics and morality, others questioned the integrity of senior staff and commissioners he inherited in office. They feared that these individuals may truncate his ability to conduct a credible election.
Questioned Competence and Credibility
Jega’s first test, the 2011 general elections, was not a resounding success. The country recorded a loss of over N4 billion, besides lives and property, owing largely to INECs poor preparation. In the months leading up to the 2011 elections, 120,000 voting machines were yet to be manufactured, tested, and shipped to the country. A new voter register with biometric data was idle, and close to 500,000 election volunteers had not been recruited. INEC begged for more time, and the elections were postponed for 3 months.
Still, there were reports of irregularities come April. Some polling units did not receive voting materials, while others experienced late arrival. With poorly functioning biometric scanners, a number of voter registration exercises were flawed, resulting in an inflated voters roll.
Nigerianss questioned the use of $570m given to Jega to overhaul voter lists and purchase additional ballot boxes. Confidence in Jega was lost; the country’s hope for a new electoral body that would conduct credible elections had been crushed. However in spite of the inconsistencies, the international community rated the 2011 elections as the country’s most credible election at the time – one least marred by fraud and legal disputes.
Fast forward four years, and preparations for the 2015 elections materialised in an identical pause. When Jega announced election postponement on February 7th, again Nigerians and international onlookers were perplexed, “The commission has decided to reschedule the 2015 general election stats … It should be noted that this rescheduling falls within the constitutional framework for the conduct of the elections.” He further stated that elections needed to be postponed for security reasons.
Some argued that the delay was a ploy by the ruling party to undermine and manipulate the process in connivance with INEC and other critical stakeholders. Others insisted that Jega had been bought over by the opposing party. Director of Presidential Campaign organisation, Dr Ahmadu Ali, said the electoral commission was poorly prepared, and postponing the election was simply a face-saving measure. INEC was further queried for certain anomalies in the distribution of PVCs, “how can Borno State which is under siege register more PVC collections than Lagos State?” asked Chief Femi-Fani Kayode, PDP Director of Media and Publicity. Fani Kayode also alleged a secret meeting between Jega and APC stalwarts in Dubai, and called on him to account for PVC’s in excess of 20 million yet to be distributed less than two weeks to the elections.
With actors across political divides accusing INECs leader of deliberately manipulating the process and consequently calling for his resignation, Jega publicly asserted his will to remain in office, “I have a job to do, and I remain focused to do it. It will be a disservice for me to resign now.”
Mixed Reactions
At the recent conclusion of the highly anticipated 2015 elections, Nigerians are singing a different song. The success of the elections – mostly deemed transparent and credible, appears to have restored Jega’s widely acclaimed competence and credibility. In spite of logistical challenges, apparent in card reader failures, insufficient voting materials, poorly trained adhoc staffs and general accreditation hitches, Jega warmed his way into the hearts of most of the electorate. Most.
During the result collation exercise, elder statesman Godsday Orubebe staged a protest on behalf of his party and he accused Jega of being partisan and tribalistic. Jega’s response to the former minister was a calm address of the allegations leveled against him, finished off with a stern but subtle reminder on public code of conduct. “Please let us be careful about what we say or do. And let us not disrupt a process that has ended peacefully… Mr Orubebe you are a former minister of the Federal Republic. You are a statesman in your own right, so you should be careful about what you say, or what allegations or accusations you make, and certainly you should be careful about your public conduct. Thank you very much.”
In his post-election appraisal, US president, Barack Obama, commended Jega. “Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman, Attahiru Jega, deserve special recognition for what independent international observers have deemed a largely peaceful and orderly vote. I commend INEC for its extensive efforts to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process.”
Prof Solomon Akinboye, HOD Political Science, University of Lagos (UNILAG), a friend of Jega since the 90s notes, “He has been tested; he’s a man of integrity, and a man of credibility. Immediately he was appointed as the chairman of INEC, I believed that we were going to have a very sound electoral system in the country. So I’m not surprised by his performance.”
Tunde Babawale, also a Professor of Political Science at UNILAG also suggests the Chairman is on the receiving end of rightful praise, “I think generally speaking he (Jega) deserves some commendation. After all, the elections have gone with very minor hitches.”
Nevertheless, not everyone share in these positive sentiments toward INECs commander. As Professor Akinboye rightly puts it, “you don’t expect everybody to like Jega; he must have his ‘enemies’ who will not subscribe to his ideas.” At one of the polling units in Lagos on Saturday, April 11th, Barrister Abumere Osara expressed his feelings, “I’m thoroughly disappointed with the chairman. There are a lot of questions; I’m sure only time will reveal whether Jega was truly and indeed independent … Only time will tell whether Jega didn’t carry out a set agenda, only time will tell.”
Redeemed …?
On his appointment four years ago, George Onmonya Daniel, a former student of Jega wrote for Sahara Reporters, “no matter what happens and no matter how it happens I believe Attahiru Jega will leave his mark as INEC Chairman. And for now I will tell you that Goodluck Jonathan made a good choice for an INEC Chairman and the Jega I know will not disappoint. But let’s leave all that to history and history is just by the corner.”
Indeed, history has been made. For in decades to come, the story of Nigeria’s turning point in democracy – the 2015 election, will be incomplete without due reference to the chief electoral umpire, Professor Attahiru Jega.
