Don’t expect perfect elections in 2015 – Jega (INEC Chairman)

The Independent National Electoral Commission has said  perfect elections  are  not possible in 2015.

It, however, assured  that certain measures were being put in place  to achieve success.

The  Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stated this   when  the new United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, visited him in Abuja on Monday.

“We are not promising a perfect election in 2015 but we are confident that we will do our best,” he told Entwistle.

But he quickly added that INEC  had  embarked on the training of its members of staff   “in collaboration with development partners’’ as one of the measures to achieve success during the polls.

Other steps, according to him, are  strategic plans and reorganisation of  its  members of staff as well as “a retreat to finalise the timetable for the 2015 polls.”

He said, “We are still on the continuous voter register and have held a  series of meetings with security agencies, civil society organisations and development partners ahead of 2015.”

The INEC chairman added that although it  was the responsibility of the commission under the Electoral Act to  carry out  civil and political education, the  issue  had      “always been challenging” because of lack resources.