Iwu Assures On Credible Elections In Anambra

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Maurice Iwu, Tuesday assured that the commission would do everything within its powers to give a credible election to the people of Anambra State on February 6, 2010.

Inaugurating a 10-member governorship election monitoring and observation board, headed by the first Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeazor Akariwe, Iwu said that the much talked about Anambra election should be able to give the nation a direction of what to expect in 2011, but noted it required the contributions of all stakeholders to produce the desired results.

However, the INEC boss chided the Nigerian elite, who according to him, are good at finding fault with other people’s action without contributing their quota for effective administration of the system.

His words: “More often in the course of efforts to build up our political system, what is found is that many citizens shy away from coming forward to contribute in any meaningful way to the building up of the system, but instead, prefer to keep a well-calculated distance in their comfort zones from where they release sermons on what is wrong with the process and what should be done one way or another.”

The committee’s terms of reference among others include to: monitor the preparations, organisations and conduct of the polls; consider and point out any factor that may affect the conduct and credibility of the electoral process as a whole; propose to the commission such action on institutional, procedural and other matters as would assist in advancing the electoral process; determine if the results of the election reflect the wishes of the people; and, submit its report to the chairman of the commission at the end of the election and publish same for public consumption.

Iwu said that guided by experience of the past and apparent willful distortion of even the best of intentions and actions by some groups, the commission decided to establish an election monitoring and observation committee for the polls.

He said managing a young democracy in a vibrant, heterogeneous society like Nigeria was not an easy task. “The challenge is made more acute by the prevailing social habits and tendencies that defined the environment of politics and elections over time. We have vein the last four years instituted various reforms to change our electoral environment and process for the better.