The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos, Dr Adetunde Ogunmola, has assured Nigerians of the independence of the commission and non- interference by government in its affairs regarding the 2011 elections.

Ogunmola said: “The coming general elections in 2011 would prove whether Nigeria will continue to record an abysmal failure of the democratic process or break away from avoidable jinx that often accompany elections in Nigeria.”

He told our correspondent in Lagos yesterday that the commission was presently engaged in regular inter-ministerial briefings with Federal Government agencies at all tiers of government.

He said this was to ensure the success of the 2011 voters’ registration exercise and the general elections.

“Many Nigerians seem to assume that having free and fair elections in our country begins and ends with INEC,” he said, adding that every Nigerian has a vital role to play.

Ogunmola wondered why many Nigerians had withdrawn from either participating in or expressing opinion about public issues and performing key civic duties and obligations like registration, voting and paying taxes.

He said some measures were being put in place to enable citizens access the commission and give a feedback on what they observe at both the registration centers and polling booths.

“Credible elections, in which there is a high degree of citizen’s participation and where the outcome is not pre-determined, have a great potential of adding values to good governance, political accountability and the deepening of democratic culture.

“Political participation is central as it creates opportunities for all major players in the political process to operate according to the rules of the game,” Ogunmola said.

He said citizens should take active interest in all the electoral processes and give useful information whenever they observed that something was wrong.