6th August, 2010
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should be empowered adequately to face the challenges of making changes and drive direction with new focus to ensure a free and fair elections, where for the first time votes of Nigerian citizens will count.
The National Coordinator of Move Nigeria Project (MNP), Mallam Abdullahi Maibirgi, made this remark while announcing the 11-point agenda of the movement at the stakeholders’ meeting tagged Kaduna Declaration, held recently at Gamji Gate Multipurpose Auditorium, Kaduna.
He noted that the timely release of funds as well as necessary legal and constitutional framework become imperative, if INEC, under the chairmanship of Professor Attahiru Jega, is to take Nigeria to new electoral heights.
More importantly, he said that INEC has demonstrated the right attitude powered by President Goodluck Jonathan’s determination and commitment to free and fair elections, adding, however, that the Presidency and the National Assembly need to expedite actions to ensure timely release of funds to the electoral umpire to be able to transform the nation’s electoral processes within the shortest time frame.
This, according to the National Coordinator, will allow the commission to face the challenges and perform its satutory responsibilities to achieve the set objectives, adding that besides funding and legal framework, INEC will need to exhibit fear of God, fairness and absolute neutrality as well as eschew any form of party affliations and be guided by the principles of selfless service to the nation.
As patriots and progressive stakeholders in the Nigerian project, MNP strongly re-affirms total commitment to the restoration and protection of ethos of good governance and responsible leadership, and as such, urged Nigerians to come together to declare open war against corruption, ethno-religious bigotry, tribal or related primodial interests and succumb to collective national interest.
On zoning, Maibirgi opined that the concept was a child of necessity and strategy for electoral victory at the polls rather than adherence to any constitutional provision or any other laws of the land.