After five years in the saddle, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Attahiru Jega, left the hot seat on Wednesday, July 1.
His exit was expected because shortly after the 2015 polls, he announced that he would not seek renewal of his tenure for another five years.
“I have served as INEC Chairman for five years and it is okay for me. I have given my contribution for the success of the country. If I am given any appointment, I will completely reject it. At least somebody (else) should be given a chance,” he said.
Jega, former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano and President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the heady military years, came to the job highly recommended.
Five years down the road, there are many Nigerians ready to proclaim his tenure a success. Nigerians are in perpetual search for heroes in a country where role models are in very short supply and are eager to celebrate anyone who displays flashes of brilliance. They fall over themselves to pour encomiums.
The opinion of many is summed up in the tribute by a civil society organisation, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), that hailed Jega as a patriotic Nigerian, who “ran a transparent and inclusive administration.
“At TMG, we can testify that Jega ran a transparent and inclusive administration at the INEC, just as he did all within his powers to ensure constant improvements in Nigeria’s electoral system.
“We salute this courageous Nigerian, whose diligence and commitment to democracy, has earned Nigeria global respect and admiration, especially after the largely successful and historic 2015 general elections.
“We are not in doubt that Jega has acquitted himself excellently, and has bequeathed to the nation an electoral system that is in better shape than what he met on the ground.”
TMG expressed its view in a statement signed by its Chairman, Ibrahim Zikirullahi, on the day Jega bowed out.
Jega will go down in history as the first INEC Chairman to conduct two general elections, in 2011 and 2015. All others before him conducted one. He will also go down in history as the first umpire to conduct an election that resulted in the triumph of the opposition party.
Before now, it has almost been taken as a rule that an incumbent government cannot lose election in Nigeria. The INEC under Jega broke the jinx.
He introduced technology, particularly electronic voter cards and card readers, to enhance the 2015 electoral process. The jury is still out on the success or otherwise of the reforms he carried out and even whether they are far-reaching and enduring. The 2015 elections still had many flaws. Incidences of ballot snatching, falsification of results, violence and intimidation of the opposition were still rife.
Many of the results announced by the returning officers were fundamentally different from what happened at the polling booths, hence the strident cry from some quarters for the cancellation of results.
But in spite of all these, there is no arguing the fact that Jega’s five years in the saddle were highly eventful. He may not have delivered perfect polls but he came, saw, and cannot be said to have failed.
He was not perfect as INEC Chairman but a few can dispute the fact that he ran a good race and did a good job. As he rightly claimed at a recent valedictory dinner in his honour, the elections he supervised may well serve as a laudable benchmark for future elections.
In seeking a new INEC chairman, therefore, the government must build on the achievements of Jega. The best way to enhance the credibility of future polls is to ensure that the INEC is repositioned in such a way that it is truly independent and non-partisan.
There is also the need for the deployment of more advanced technology for future elections. This will start from furnishing the nation with reliable statistical and demographic data appropriate for credible elections.
Voter registration should be a continuous exercise, not an ad hoc measure embarked upon only a few months to the election.
There is need also to consider the full implementation of the recommendations of the Mohammed Uwais Electoral Reform Committee.
But above all, the credibility of future elections will depend on the character and integrity of the person appointed to replace Jega.
Therefore, it behooves President Muhammadu Buhari to look beyond narrow political considerations in making the appointment so that Nigeria’s democracy will be consolidated.