We are constrained to raise a query on the appropriateness of Professor Attahiru Jega's awesome bill to the nation to conduct a fresh voter registration. Sums ranging from N55 billion, N72 billion and now N74 billion have been bandied about. This is exclusive of another N10 billion to cover costs for running the January 2011 elections proper.
The popular view at the moment is that the substratum for any credible election is an authentic voter's register. This is particularly more so when all are agreed that the current voters register produced by the Iwu INEC is not worth the paper or CD-Rom on which it is contained. We may recall that billions of scarce national resources went into this exercise which is now only fit for the dust bin.
Between Guobadia and Iwu the nation deployed enormous resources which it can ill afford on the elusive voters without commensurate results. On each occasion the cheerleaders shouted everyone down that INEC request must be satisfied without question. What guarantee do we now have that we are not on that same road again? It is our considered opinion that Jega is about to make the same mistakes Iwu made four years ago. Jega does not control the production, supply nor market for the biometric laptops. Already, as Iwu found to his chagrin earlier, international speculators are already on the prowl and before Jega can shout kai wallahi they would have cornered the market to his grief.
We urge the National Assembly to go through INEC's N84 billion request with a fine tooth-comb. We also believe that the matter deserves a snappy public hearing. We are firmly of the view that the credible voters register, and genuine elections of our dreams, could still be achieved at less than half the cost being proposed by Jega.
We as field operators in this matter have acquired the experience and have a lot of useful hints to proffer. We are however dismayed that as at the date of this statement Jega has not deemed it fit to meet with the political parties and de-brief them. Rather he has spent time talking to NGO's and the NASS.
His counsel to REC's on the day of their swearing in to avoid state Governors showed he placed high premium on the recent revelations of Donald Duke. Political parties not in government know that the Duke revelation was merely the tip of the ice-berg. We have more revelations to make if only he would hear us out.
The argument that there is no time no longer holds water with the new Electoral Act 2010 as registration now ends in November.
Maxi Okwu
National Chairman CPP.
03-08-10