13th August, 2010
Rep. Musa Sarki-Adar, (PDP-Sokoto), said in Abuja that INEC would have no excuse not to conduct free, fair and credible elections in 2011.
Sarki-Adar, who is the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, told newsmen on Thursday in Abuja that the parliament had given the commission all the necessary support to succeed.
Apparently speaking against the backdrop of the approval of N87.7 billion required by the commission to conduct a fresh voter register, the lawmaker said the commission had all it takes to give Nigerians the best.
He said the urgent need for another voter’ register was because Nigerians were no longer comfortable with the existing register as it lacked credibility.
`If the money INEC requested for is ignored, it means elections would be postponed and we don’t want the elections postponed because we want credible elections,’’ he said.
Reacting to the sequence of election as prescribed by the National Assembly, the lawmaker said all matters relating to election had been removed from the Constitution to the 2010 Electoral Act.
“If everything that concerns election is left to INEC of just about 17 people alone, they can be easily manipulated,†he said.
Sarki-Adar called on the media to assist with voter education, adding that electoral matters should not be left with INEC alone, but should be the responsibility of all stakeholders.