Jega: Nigeria cannot hold 2015 elections in one day

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has said there would be chaos and confusion if all the general elections in 2015 are held in one day.

The INEC chairman said that such an exercise would be largely impeded by huge logistics challenges which could reverse the already recorded improvements in the country’s recent elections.

Professor Jega made this known during an interactive meeting with editors and news directors in Abuja.

He added that insufficient voter education in a country with a high illiteracy rate and the large number of ballot papers involved in such an endeavor would p practically y make it impossible p for the commission to conduct elections in one day.

“There is the complaint now that voters are not sufficiently educated and they are wasting their votes…there’ll be chaos and confusion. We do not believe it should be done in 2015. We should not bite more than we can chew,” he said.

Project Director, UNDP-Democratic Governance for Democracy (DGD), Mourtada Deme while delivering a goodwill message, said the media plays a crucial role in keeping citizens engaged in the business of governance since any healthy political processes require pluralism and open communication.

He added that by providing a vibrant and free environment for communication, debate and deliberation, the media helped to establish good governance and promote a more accountable leadership.