Jega: Nigeria Has Set a New Standard in Conduct of Credible Elections in Africa
The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has said despite the numerous challenges facing the country, Nigeria has set a new standard and shown resilience in conducting credible elections in Africa.
Delivering a lecture at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, England, Prof. Jega stated that the recent elections held in The Gambia and Ghana which saw the incumbent presidents losing election, was something to commend the country and Africa for.
The paper titled: ‘Electoral Integrity in Africa: Lessons From Nigeria’s 2011 and 2015 Election’, was his inaugural speech as Africa Initiative for Governance (AIG) visiting fellow of practice for 2016 to 2017.
The school lecturer set out an outline before dismantling the paper which is comprised of introduction, context, five key challenges and hurdles he went through before conducting the 2015 election and steps to addressing the challenges. Others are outstanding challenges, lessons and conclusion.
But speaking extemporaneously, he said after the successful conduct of the 2015 general election that saw the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari, INEC set an unbeatable record that is being imbibed by other African countries in conducting elections where incumbent presidents remain unelected as the people’s choice.
He explained that after the 2007 general elections, many Nigerians had written off INEC as a cash and carry organisation that went to the highest bidder, adding that rigging of elections and snatching of ballot papers were so rife and engrained in the system.
But quoting the United Nations Global Commission on elections, democracy and security, he said elections can have either positive or negative impact on democratisation, and that whether or not the impact is positive is largely to an extent, related to whether or not they are conducted with integrity.
The professor of Political Science however blamed the colonial elite and military rule for ethno-political crises, through their divide and rule tactics, but praised the civil society organisations, the media and other notable groups that mobilised the society for the good conduct of better elections at that time.
Jega, who said he was called out from the Ivory Tower to conduct election as INEC chairman, had the initial fear of how to protect his integrity by conducting election devoid of electoral malpractices.
Jega, however, noted that his six months stay as a fellow at the Blavatnik School of Government has been intellectually stimulating and excellent.
Lending a voice at the event, the former Managing Director of Access Bank and founder of the Africa Initiative for Governance, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, noted that Jega is one man in the country that has convinced him that peoples’ votes can always count after election.
“I did not believe that Nigeria could conduct free and fair elections. Now, a line has been drawn on the sand that elections in Nigeria will always count.
“Attributed to Ghana and Gambia’s electoral successes to the Nigerian examples which Jega spearheaded, we celebrate Professor Jega, who had made history in Nigeria by conducting a free and fair elections in 2015, and has made history in Africa which made me a believer in credible electoral processes in Nigeria,” Aigboje said.
The former banker said he and the wife, Ofovwe, entered a five-year partnership with the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government to provide intensive post-graduate worldclass training in governance and public policy for 25 students over the next five years (2017 to 2021).
“Starting in 2017, five scholarships will be awarded to candidates from Nigeria and Ghana. These are candidates who can demonstrate academic excellence, proven leadership and commitment to public service. Upon graduation, the scholars will be expected to return home and apply their learning experiences in the public sector,” Aig-Imoukhuede said.