INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

With high expectations from Nigerians and the international community regarding free, fair credible and peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Chairman of INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega has said the attitude of political parties and contestants will also play a major part in achieving this.

Professor Jega, while speaking yesterday at a sensitization workshop on non violence elections in 2015 held at Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, affirmed that INEC “will conduct the 2015 general elections without partisanship, with professionalism, neutrality, and create a level playing field for all contestants in the electioneering process”.

But the INEC chairman was quick to point out that: “It is very important to recognise that in a country like Nigeria, there are many factors that can lead to violence in election, but the attitude and disposition of parties and candidates will determine to a large extent whether we have peaceful elections or non violent elections”.

He admitted that as an election management body, “INEC has an important responsibility: it has to do its job with professionalism, with competence and with non partisanship”, adding that same applies to security agencies.

Professor Jega identified “ten tenets of Violence-free party politics”, which he said will support peaceful elections. They include: “internal party democracy, effective intra-party conflict resolution, Accountability, supremacy of rules and uncertainty of electoral outcomes. Others are willingness to accept outcomes, moderation in electioneering, trust in institutional redress, promotion of inclusiveness and well trained staff”.

The INEC boss challenged key stakeholders in the electoral process to make an undertaking that they will engage in the process with the commitment to ensure that the elections are free, fair and peaceful. “Unless we all make this undertaking and live by the words we express we may contribute inadvertently or advertently to undermining the integrity of the elections and to creating unnecessary conflict in the electoral process.” he said.