A New Broom   

There is high hope that Professor Attahiru Jega, whose appointment as the new boss for Independent National Electoral Commission was endorsed by National Council of State last week, is capable of giving Nigerians a more credible election.

Prof. Attahiru Jega, the new INEC boss.

Going by the near spontaneous approval across the different political divide that greeted the announcement of his name as the new boss of Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after the Council of State meeting last Tuesday, many Nigerians no doubt have faith in the ability of Professor Attahiru Jega to give Nigerians a credible general elections in 2011. Indeed, former Head of State, General Muhammadu Buhari had told journalists after the near six-hour meeting that the new INEC Chairman and the other nominees for top positions in INEC presented to the Council were all “worthy of the positions approved for them”.

The announcement of Jega as successor to Maurice Iwu who conducted the 2007 general elections which has been described by local and international observers as the worst poll in Nigerian history, ended weeks of speculation about who would lead INEC in the conduct the 2011 polls. Dora Akunyili, the Minister of Information and Communications, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Chairman of Human Rights Commission, Bhukari Bello had been variously mentioned in the media before last Tuesday’s announcement as those being considered by President Jonathan as a replacement for Iwu who was sent on compulsory pre-retirement leave last 28 April. But the speculation and anxiety got to feverish pitch with the announcement by President Jonathan in France about three weeks ago that he has not met or spoken to the person he intended to present to the Council of State meeting for ratification as new Chairman of INEC. This immediately sparked speculations that some forces outside government may have imposed their favoured candidate on the President.

Former Nigerian President Yabukubu Gowon.

The anxiety was no doubt responsible for overwhelming attendance at last week’s Council of State meeting which, for the first time in a very long while, had all former living Nigerian heads of state in attendance, including Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, Shehu Shagari, Ibrahim Babangida, Ernest Shonekan, Abdulsalami Abubakar, and Muhammadu Buhari who had consistently shunned the council’s meetings during the administrations of Obasanjo and late Umaru Yar’Adua.

This magazine gathered last Wednesday that the Presidency has already sent Jega’s name to the Senate for ratification in compliance with statutory requirements. The Senate is however currently on a two-week recess which is supposed to end on 22 June, though some source in the upper chamber said the lawmakers may be willing to cut short their holiday to screen the INEC chairman and the 10 national commissioners nominated along with him. If he is able to sail through the Senate, as he is most likely to do, Jega’s appointment will be a departure from the norm for many reasons. For one, he will be the first Northerner to be appointed into the position of INEC Chairman.

Jega, a professor of political science, is currently the Vice-Chancellor, Bayero University, Kano. The radical academic came into national prominence when he succeeded the equally radical Dr Festus Iyayi as President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, in 1988 after the latter was booted out of University of Benin by the dictatorial regime of President Ibrahim Babangida. Jega was Iyayi Vice President. As President of ASUU between 1988 and 1994, Jega led the struggle for demand for better wages by lecturers, including a week-long strike to protest the unwillingness of the Federal Government to implement a new salary scale being used to pay civil servants in the universities. He was detained for two weeks at Kirikiri Maximum Prison after ASUU was banned. Jega’s struggles culminated in the agreement signed between ASUU and the Federal Government under the Interim National Government of Chief Ernest Shonekan in September 1993.

Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

With his persistence, especially against the government of President Ibrahim Babangida which was infamous for its use of monetary and other inducements to turn activists like Jega off course, the political science lecturer cut for himself the image of an honest, courageous and principled personality which endures till today. The 1978 graduate of Bayero University, Kano where he has also lectured since 1979, is also a prolific researcher and author with many publications to his credit. Jega also holds the national award of the Order Of the Niger and is the founding coordinator of the Nigeria Research Group, and the Centre for Research and Documentation in Kano. But it was not all applause for Jonathan and Jega though. Ayo Opadokun, the convener of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms, CODER, described the appointment of the former ASUU President as “unfortunate dimension”. The chieftain of the defunct National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, especially noted that Attahiru Jega has had a long term association with disreputable Professor Maurice Iwu. ‘When Attahiru Jega was the President of ASUU, Maurice Iwu was the deputy chairman. When Iwu became the chairman, Jega became a consultant to INEC. How can such a man with such a past inspire confidence in Nigerians that he will conduct a free and fair election?” queried the pro-democracy activist. He was also disappointed that President Jonathan chose to retain his appointing authority of the INEC Chairman contrary to the wishes of the civil society groups and the recommendations of the Uwais Panel.

However, sources close to the presidency said this argument has no basis since the recommendation that the National Judicial Council be made the appointing authority for the post of INEC Chairman has been rejected by the National Assembly and the National Council of State . Many Nigerians who have been disappointed by such appointees who received popular acclamation when their names were announced will surely agree with him.

By Oluokun Ayorinde/Abuja

Tags:  2011 electios, Attahiru Jega, CODER, Electoral reform, INEC