There would be further significant improvements on the successes achieved in the 2011 general elections during the forthcoming general elections in 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has promised.
Professor Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman gave the assurance on Friday while speaking at the International Seminar on Political Advertising, Perception Building and Voter Education at the Yar’adua Center, Abuja. Jega said his commission is working very hard to make sure that the 2015 general election measure excellently against international benchmarks of democratic elections.
“For us at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), we have always said that even though the 2011 general elections were widely acclaimed as a major improvement on the past elections in this country, we are determined to raise the bar much higher in 2015,” Jega said.
“Actually, our goal is not to only make the 2015 elections much better than 2011, they should also be very good when measured using to international benchmarks of democratic elections. We encourage other stakeholders to come on board and contribute their quota towards achieving this objective.”
He commended the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN) and other organisations for organising the seminar and making issues pertaining to electoral process the focal point of the event. He urged them to continue using every avenue to enlighten Nigerians about the standard practices in elections.
“As we approach the general elections in February 2015, no effort should be spared by stakeholders in promoting civic enlightenment among the electorate and global best practices among the political elite,” Jega said.
He urged officials of all registered political parties invited to the seminar to pay close attention to the practical information that would be dished out.
“We should all have a lot to learn about international best practices in grassroots mobilisation, perception building and voter education. I also expect that the panel discussion subsequently by representatives of professional media bodies, the civil society and INEC will bring out the varied stakeholder perspectives on the subject matter,” he said.
He said the responsibility for voter education and civic sensitisation about the electoral process does not lie with INEC alone, calling on all other stakeholders like politicians and political parties, media professionals, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, community and opinion leaders to join in the task of promoting greater enlightenment about the political process in the citizenry.
“Equally important is that politicians, in particular, must cultivate the right attitude to the contest for power and imbibe best practices that would boost the confidence of the electorate in the process,” Jega said.
He expressed confidence that the seminar will promote the core values of democracy and best practices in elections. He wished all participants at the seminar fruitful deliberations and enriching experience.
