Why we adjusted timetable in Cross River, by Jega

By Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

Jega

CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega yesterday explained why the electoral umpire picked February 25 for the governorship election in Cross River State.

Prior to the Supreme Court judgment in January that sacked governors of five states, including Cross River, the governorship election was fixed for April 14. But INEC’s decision to conduct the election on Saturday pitted it against the opposition parties in the state, threatening to challenge the move in court.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ forum with candidates in Calabar yesterday, Jega said: “INEC changed the timetable for the election because we were compelled by circumstances to do that. 

“The judgment of the Supreme Court made it imperative for us to take another look at the timetable. And in taking that look at the timetable, we had the advice of the best lawyers that we had consulted. 

Obviously, the reason that was uppermost in our minds in fixing the timetable as we rescheduled the elections had to do with the need not to allow a prolonged vacuum in the governance of the states, where the Supreme Court said the tenure of the governors had expired. 

“With that judgment of the Supreme Court, we all know that the governors vacated their offices and speakers of the houses of state assemblies, who technically are supposed to preside over legislators and who the constitution only anticipated them to act for governorship positions under very unusual circumstances had to take over. And for us, there was a compelling need to adjust to ensure that the vacancies are filled as soon as possible.

“That was primary and we did it legally from all the legal advice that we have had. The electoral act and the constitution have given INEC the powers to issue timetable and we have issued the timetable and the timetable we issued obvious was conditioned by the circumstances under which we confronted ourselves. 

“So, we asked the parties to give us names of their candidates within a time-frame, and all of you gave us the names of your candidates within that time-frame. So you complied with the timetable.”

SOURCE: The Nation, 23 February 2012.  http://www.thenationonlineng.net