Posted by By JACOB EDI, Abuja on
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Monday insisted there was no plot by the presidency to set up an Interim National Government (ING) in place of fresh elections in 2007....
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Monday insisted there was no plot by the presidency to set up an Interim National Government (ING) in place of fresh elections in 2007. It however vowed that its commissioners will quit if the government decides to go ahead with the alleged plot.
Similarly, the commission confirmed it has added a new party to the list of registered political parties. The new party is Nigeria, Elements Progressive Party (NEPP) which brings the total number of registered part to 41 while 15 others including Accord Party (AA) are being considered.
Deputy Senate President, Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu, is believed to be one of the financiers of the party.
INEC's commissioner and chairman of the commission's information and publicity, Dr. Mohammed Jumare, dropped this hint at a news conference in Abuja yesterday.
'It is only politicians that need time table. The issue is let them go and canvass for votes. There is nothing like ING. Many of us will leave if the government comes up with something like that," Jumare told journalists while announcing the commission's plans to hold a national conference on next year's general elections. The two day conference is tagged National Forum on Nigeria's 2007 Elections- The Critical Challenges Ahead.
Jumare also revealed that according to the commission's strategic time table, revalidation of voters register will be completed between September and October this year but he could not say categorically when the 2007 election time table will be made public.
It will be recalled that INEC national chairman, Professor Maurice Iwu, had a few months ago announced that the commission will only come out with an election time table after meeting with leaders of all the registered political parties with a view to arriving at a consensus over the 2007 election date.
Even though the commission is yet to meet with leaders of the political parties, Dr. Jumare assured that the issue of the time table for next year's election will become clearer after the two day national conference.
The conference, Jumare explained, is to address such issues as violence, security and insecurity and also focus on providing viable platform for all of the commission's stake holders to brainstorm with a view to finding solutions to the problems as well as find ways of securing 'a free, fair and credible elections."
'We hope too that important issues of thuggey and violence before and during elections which INEC had previously thrown to political parties for contemplation at an earlier forum will be resolved once and for all by the stakeholders at the conference," Jumare explained.