NEW INEC CHAIRMAN - PROF. NAZIM MIMIKO SET TO TAKE OVER SEAT

 

  “The successor to the out-going Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega has already been nominated”, sources told elombah.com.

The source continued: “The In-coming INEC chairman is Prof Nazim Olufemi Mimiko, a professor of Political Science and International Relation and a former VC of Adekunle Ajasin University, Ondo State.

“The embattled Prof Jega will be officially proceeding on his three months terminal leave with effect from March 1, 2015 in compliance with the civil service procedure.”

With the successful postponement of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the Presidency has reportedly launched a two-pronged war to ensure that President Goodluck Jonathan wins the election convincingly.

The first strategy is to stop Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress candidate from contesting the election with Jonathan, while the second strategy is to replace the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, with a less independent-minded person.

Jega, it was gathered, had been described by hawks around the president of being too independent-minded and ‘uncooperative’ despite being given the job on a platter of gold by the president’s men.

Jega himself has said he has no reason to resign but would do so if he has to, but he may be asked to proceed on terminal leave since his tenure ends on June 30, 2015, with an acting chairman appointed to oversee the elections.

However, analysts say this is unlikely since he can only proceed on terminal leave three months to the expiration of his tenure — which is not earlier than March 30, 2015, two days after the new date for state elections.

Section 132 (2) of the constitution allows for elections to be held up till April 30, and this had further fuelled fears that the country may be plunged into a crisis if Jega is asked to proceed on terminal leave.

There would be a constitutional crisis if the election is held on April 30 and there is a need for run-off if no candidate meets the requirements to be declared a winner. The constitution stipulates that the run-off should be held within seven days, effectively making it impossible to hold the election 30 days to the May 29 exit date for the current administration.

Observers say that Jega might have unwittingly played into the hands of the forces arrayed against him by agreeing to shift the elections.

Meanwhile an uneasy relationship now exists between presidency and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the reason adduced for the adjustment of the general election dates,

Attahiru Jega a professor of political science and INEC chairman, had attributed the shift in dates from February 14 and 28 to March 28 and April 11 respectively to a letter written by the military over its “inability” to provide security for the elections because of ongoing operations against Boko Haram in the north-east.

But a presidency official told an online newspaper, TheCable that Jega was being “clever by half” and was attempting to “pass the buck” in order to cover up for INEC’s poor preparations for the elections.

The official said “Jega was not sincere at all. The collection of PVCs was to end last Saturday and 23 million cards were yet to be distributed. Why was Jega not man enough to admit they would have bungled the elections if the dates had remained unchanged?” he asked.

According to the official, who is a presidential aide, the security issue was just one of the several factors that necessitated the shift in the dates “but Jega has cleverly gone to tell the whole world that it was the security agencies that forced him to change the dates.” He said journalists should have asked him what he intended to do with the 23 million uncollected PVCs as well as the ones that were stolen from INEC’s custody.

“Jega was also silent on the fact that the machines that would be deployed to read the cards had not been tested and its officials had not even been trained on how to use them, while there is yet no consolidated voter register. Jega himself admitted to his commissioners that the election would have ended in chaos if INEC had gone ahead.

The letter written by the chief of defence staff was the perfect excuse for him to shift the polls and heap all the blame on security,” he said. President Goodluck Jonathan had grown suspicious of Jega, the source added, because of the “lopsidedness” in the management of the PVC distribution exercise and the pronouncements of the INEC chairman on Saturday are believed to have worsened matters.

By the way, Prof Nazim Olufemi Mimiko is the brother of PDP Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko.