Why I didn’t ask Jega to resign, by Jonathan

THERE is bad news for those pushing for Prof. Attahiru Jega’s resignation.

The President said yesterday that he was “in full support” of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, who came under attack for calling off last Saturday’s National Assembly elections.

The President spoke at a photo exhibition on his campaign tour at the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

“The day I no longer support him, I will of course raise the process of removing him. You know that of course, if he is no longer performing well, I will communicate to the National Assembly to terminate his appointment. Until I do that, I am fully in his support and I know that he will do well,’’ the President said.

Jonathan said: “The country and the electoral body are totally committed to ensuring that they conduct credible elections’’.

He said INEC had the alternative of going ahead with the polls last week without the result sheets to enter the results at the collation centres, but it declined.

Said Dr. Jonathan: “What arrived late were the results sheets. They could not have been distributed that night to everybody. That would have meant taking the materials to the collation centres where they would have entered the results on plain sheets of paper. This is what we are against, that is what INEC is against.
Read more