Attahiru Jega reveals threats to Nigeria’s democracy

Professor Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, has warned that Nigeria’s democracy is under threat from money- bag politicians if the new electoral bill isn’t comprehensively reviewed to regulate campaign financing, and other controversial issues.

Jega who disclosed this while on AIT’s Kakaaki show on Monday said aside from the electronic transmission controversy in the new electoral bill, there are other issues that must be tackled in the bill if Nigeria must protect its democracy.

“There are two other issues which are critical which members of the National Assembly need to address. Campaign finance is one. Politicians are turning our democracy into plutocracy, only people who have money now will contest the elections. And really this needs to be revised.

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“There’s is also the issue of how some candidates are now putting guns on the heads of returning officers and forcing them to declare results. All these changes are necessary if we want our democracy to survive the test of time,” he said.

According to him, the new electoral bill is long overdue as efforts are being made to review the electoral act 2010 as amended.

Prof. Attahiru Jega also disclosed that the plan by the National Assembly to exclude electronic transmission of votes in the new Electoral Reform Bill is counterproductive, insisting that electronic transmission reduces cases of electoral fraud and makes the process more efficient.

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“When one looks at the electoral bill with regards to utilization of tech, they said INEC should use electronic voting, provided INEC does not use electronic transmission of results, you can’t permit INEC to use electronic voting and not use electronic transmission of results.

“We all know, in most electoral jurisdictions, efforts are being made to introduce technology to improve elections.

“Because usually, they go as a package. Besides that, most countries merely use it as best practice, because electronic transmission needs robust technology to bring efficiency and transparency, and real-time ability to see results as transmitted from the polling units,” Jega said.

Jega warned that denying INEC the opportunity of implementing the electronic transmission of results would be very counterproductive and undermine the integrity of next elections

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“Electronic transmission of results would ensure that the traditional fraudulent activities of changing results from polling units to collation centres would now be a thing of the past,” he added.