Jega And The Legislative Sledge Hammer

The much awaited 2011 is very much around and Nigerians are anxious to see political events unfold to clear their hanging fate.

At the centre of the unfolding political process is Professor Attahiru Jega, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Jega’s first litmus test, the voter registration exercise, had been trailed with obvious criticisms, following shortcomings experienced during the national exercise.

The most virulent critics of the INEC boss are members of the National Assembly (NASS).

The discontent of the federal lawmakers was expressly stated by the Senate President, David Mark, who expressed fears over the possibility of the entire exercise sinking into total collapse, an envisaged position that represent the corralled voice of resentment of the National Assembly.

To many pundits the resentment of the federal legislators was not unexpected as it is no doubt a re-enactment of their earlier fallout with the INEC boss. Jega had earlier incurred their wrath when he was quoted in a media report to have used abusive remarks on the distinguished senators, a position Jega later cleared through an explanation when he was summoned before the senate.

Criticisms are endearing features of any political process. But when criticisms become a reflection of accumulated grievances, they accentuate the briers on the political highways.

While President Goodluck Jonathan called for patience and co-operation with the INEC boss, following the hitches experienced in voter registration exercise, the reactions of majority of the National Assembly members were incisive and alarming.

The picture painted is that the poor outing of the registration exercise were clear indications that Jega cannot as well deliver in the general election a couple of months ahead.

INEC under Jega is undergoing a gradual recuperation from a controversial and battered profile. The electoral umpire in the immediate past was smeared in strategic deception, oiled by political gladiators and beneficiaries of the political system, mostly of whom are now calling for Jega’s head.

Jega had so far borne the burden with courage as he is still being haunted by the stubborn spirits of the past which is still trailing his attempts as enthroning a relatively acceptable umpire that will be truly independent and capable of conducting a free and fair election in Nigeria.

Nigeria is an interesting country. At every period of its chequered political history it had never had a dull moment. It has always engaged in political hypothesis and permutations ostensibly to advance the political development of the country, but strategically designed to achieve personal political goals.

The emerging political class had always not equally betrayed their directing interests in the polity. As unscathed beneficiaries of the system, they sloganise about reforms and institutional changes, but consciously work against it.

As such they are always the first to raise alarm when things go wrong.

Considering the penchant of most of the federal lawmakers for advancing self benefiting agenda, their verbal inventive on Jega is considered by many analysts as a smear of hypocrisy.

No doubt, Jega’s averred adherence to enthroning the popular demand of the people for change is bound to make them jittery.

Jega is no fool. He knows the antecedence of the institution he presently heads. He knows that his heroic hours of life come with grave challenges.

He also knows that former occupants of the office had to contend with similar challenges. He cannot therefore attempt to gamble with the chances of foisting a credible electoral process in Nigeria.

Jega is also intelligent enough to interpret the criticisms of the federal lawmakers beyond its acclaimed patriotic gestures.

He perhaps knows the limit of patriotism and can perceive the clear show of vendetta towards his seemingly non conformist posture.

He appears poised in his new assignment as he tries as much as possible to operate within the ambits of the law.

Realising the constraint of the voters registration exercise, he had since sought legal permission to extend the exercise which was granted following a slight amendment to the electoral law.

He had also demanded for an additional N6.6b to enable INEC carry out the assignment successfully.

While his critics consider such demands as outrageous, many Nigerians want his request granted to nib any excuse of lackluster delivery in the bud.

Nigerians are very much at home with Jega because of his assurance of one man one vote, an assurance they cannot wait to build on to make up for their years of political inertia and apathy.

Nigerians had in the past battled with an inherent political culture referred to as the Nigerian factor as they were always being distanced from the political process.

Nigerians are eager to exercise their legitimate rights of deciding their political future through the ballot boxes.

Jega’s INEC is therefore symbolic of the struggle by Nigerians to bridge the gap between sets of democratic ideals and reality and any person who suggests the contrary is calling for a people’s revolution. By the new political development in the country, aspirants do not need only the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, tickets to win elections.

Nigerians are vigilant enough to choose their leaders based on the popularity of the candidate.

Political nitwits can no longer disguise through the platform of PDP to perpetrate mediocrity in politics. Nigerians have seen that majority of those in power today demonstrate a passionate lust for it but are constrainted by incurable incompetence in its exercise.

In their anticipation of a new political transition in the country, Nigerians very much believe in the words of an Action Congress candidate for Etche, Omuma Federal Constituency, Chief Ambrose Nwuzi who declared that; “contestants to political offices in the country should not ride on the shoulders of political Godfathers but should count on their track records and popularity among the people they aspire to represent or govern”.

It is clear that most of the federal legislators who lost their re-election bid, as they could not secure the returning ticket of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, are definitely not impressed about the gathering cloud over their political career.

The fear of being out of power has made many of them to  resort to crude measures to remain politically relevant. Jega’s blackmail is one of such measures, but the awareness of Nigerians has been raised to accommodate such tendencies.

Nigerian political problems are definitely not Jega’s creation. He inherited it, and he needs to be encouraged to help the country pull out of its drooping political past. The vitriolic criticism of the lawmakers according to a political analyst, “could as best be described as conservative patriotism and at worse a rebellion against the Nigerian masses”.

Beemene Taneh