2011 General Elections: Mixed reactions greet INEC time-table

Posted by Anonymous
Prof. Attahiru Jega
Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC

Two former governors have expressed mixed feelings over the time-table for next year’s general elections released yesterday by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

In his own remarks over the time-table, the former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, expressed worry over the order of elections that was released by the electoral commission.

In a telephone interview yesterday, he stated that the norm in past elections was for state houses of assembly and governorship elections to hold before the National Assembly and Presidential elections.

He said: “I am not happy about the order of the 2011 election which INEC has just announced. I do not know why the electoral commission has chosen this order.”

He further stated that changing the normal order of elections was part of what the electoral commission did in 2003 and 2007 to manipulate the polls under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, adding that the new arrangement gave him cause for worry.

Although, he refused to be categorical in his own reaction, the former Governor of Edo State, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the order of elections in the country was part of the new Electoral Reform influenced by Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to enable the party benefit from an arrangement that is suitable to it.

Commenting on the period that was set aside by INEC for voters registration, he stated that two weeks was too short to conduct the exercise.
He further stated that he was opposed to rushing through the elections next January.

Odigie-Oyegun said: “If we want a credible election, we must have enough time. We are not serious about conducting a free and fair election given the manner we are rushing the exercise ”.
He further opined that the two-week period set aside by the electoral commission for the registration of voters between late October and early November was too short.

According to him, “two weeks is a short time. I hope they know what they are doing. The whole timetable is giving me cause for serious concern.”

He further maintained that the present time schedule is too tight even for the political parties to conduct their primaries, elect their candidates and get ready for next year’s election

ELECTION TIMETABLE HIGHLIGHTS
  • Oct 13, 2010: Election Notice
  • Nov 1 -14, 2010: Voters’registration
  • Nov 20 -25, 2010: Display of voters’list
  • Dec, 16, 2010: Publication of voters’register
Campaigns:
  • Oct 17, 2010 – Jan 14, 2011: National Assembly
  • Jan 21, 2011: Presidential
  • Jan 28, 2011: Governors, State Assembly
Oct 12 – 22, 2010: Collection of forms CF001 and CF002

Returning of forms CF001 and Cf002:
  • Nov 15: National Assembly
  • Nov 22: Presidential
  • Nov 29: Governor, State Assembly
Nov 22 – Nov 25, 2010: Collection of nomination form

Submission of Nomination form:
  • Nov 4: National Assembly
  • Nov 7: Presidential
  • Nov 10 – 11: Governors, State Assembly
List of nominated candidates:
  • Dec 16: National Assembly
  • Dec 23: Presidential
  • Dec 30: Governors, State Assembly
Jan 8- Jan 22, 2011: Submission of party agents’ names to RECs .

Vanguard

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