Jega: INEC didn’t change directive on card reader

Jega

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, on Thursday said the commission did not change its directive on the use of card reader for the governorship and state houses of assembly elections.

Jega, who spoke during a post 2015 general election assessment retreat for resident electoral commissioners in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said it was only during the presidential election that the commission instructed all the states that wherever there was evident of card readers’ failure they should revert to manual accreditation.


The theme of the retreat was: “2015 General Elections: Lessons and Way forward.”

The INEC chairman, who said no elections had ever been perfect, insisted that the last elections were highly successful.

Jega said: “If you recall there was at least an interval of two weeks between the presidential and governor elections, we studied everything that was a problem with the card readers within those two weeks and rectified them.

“We were absolutely sure that for the governorship election, card readers would not be a problem. That was why for the governorship election we instructed that the card readers must be used.

“And so, if there is evidence of any place where they just put aside the card readers and use manual accreditation, that election can be examined. I am sure the tribunal will look at the evidence clearly as to what happened.

“As far as I know, the commission did not change that directive, so card readers must be used. And if there were places where card readers were not used for the governorship election, then people were entitled to produce evidence for that so that the commission could take necessary actions.”