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| Last Updated: Jan 19th, 2012 - 11:25:19 |
Election 2011
“We will ensure free and fair elections in 2011”
May 28, 2010, 00:24
| | President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has reiterated the determination of his Administration to ensure free and fair elections next year.
The President said during an audience granted a United States delegation led by the Under-Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria Otero in the State House, on Thursday May 27, that “in the next election, there will be no cheating,” stressing that “every vote must count and we are totally committed to this.”
President Jonathan said that “winning elections is not the issue, but the process must be credible, free and fair.”
While noting that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) “is the dominant party,” he said that “even at that, we must ensure that things are done properly and so people can be convinced that we won fair and square.”
President Jonathan who admitted that “even with the present laws we can conduct fairly acceptable elections,” stressed that all that needed to be done was to enforce the law.
“If the law that says elections results should be announced at the polling units is enforced, every party agent would have a copy of the results and this would ensure a bottom-up credibility of the process,” he said, adding that “this is the missing link and we must do this right.”
The President disclosed that an electoral offences tribunal would be established to try electoral crimes.
“If you alter results, that is forgery, it is criminal and the offender must be made to pay for the crime,” he said, adding that “if you snatch ballot papers, that is stealing and there is a penalty attached.”
President Jonathan who also reiterated the intention of his Administration to sanitise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and allow only people of proven integrity and good track record to man the outfit, noted that electoral reform was very crucial.
“If leaders are not elected by popular votes, they will never be accountable,” he said.
The Under-Secretary who was accompanied by the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Robin Saunders, said that her delegation was in Nigeria to attend the first Nigeria-US Bi-national Commission meeting.
Ms Otero also commended the current Administration’s commitment to electoral reforms, while pledging her country’s readiness to provide funding and training to INEC in the build-up to the general elections.
© Copyright 2012 nigeriafirst.org
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