From Chuks Collins, Awka
The Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) an international Non Governmental Organization has described as very shameful, the evident shoddy preparations of the Independent Electoral Commission(INEC) for the 2015 general elections that was earlier scheduled to hold today.
This position was advanced by the chairman of the group, Dr Ifeanyi Ubah during an interaction with journalists in Awka yesterday.
Dr Ubah said that the non readiness of the election umpire was manifest in many respect, including the poor distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) across the states coupled with the fact that INEC is yet to properly trained its adhoc staff who were expected to handle the newly introduced card screening machine (card Reader) as well as perform sundry election duties. Also it was disclosed that even the INEC handbook and training manuals have not been delivered, amongst other lapses.
The TAN boss noted that the Prof Attairu Jega-led INEC would have led the nation into historic embarrassment if not for the security chiefs who called for a little adjustment in the timetable to allow the nation’s military backed by a combined regional forces of mostly neighboring countries complete a security operation against the BOKO Haram in the north-east.
This, he pointed out was so because the chairman of INEC had always told all that the commission was ready for the poll not minding that some sensitive materials including some of the PVCs for the election were yet to be supplied by the contractors handling them, most of who were done overseas.
Ubah recalled similar thing happened in the 2011 general elections when the commission called off an election midway on the very day of the poll because of non availability of very sensitive materials required for the process. This, he reiterated nearly threw the nation into a social crisis. He pointed out that if it were in other climes the INEC boss would have thrown in the towel for that reason.
He said the latest discovery of poor and shoddy preparations on his part was very embarrassing and shameful because the commission ought to have started preparing for the 2015 general elections the moment it was through with that of 2011.
Chief Ubah also urged Jega to urgently redress the disparities in the distribution and collection of PVCs as a section of the country recorded a high percentage while another section got an all time low. This according to him gives an erroneous impression that the umpire may have been compromised.
TAN strong man tongue-lashed the opponents of President Goodluck Jonathan, particularly the APC for accusing him and the PDP for being responsible for the shift in the dates of the elections, because INEC remains an open independent national agency accessible to all, if they wished to verify their frivolous claims.
