Nigerian Compass Newspaper

•INEC chair denies meeting with Anenih

•Haruna, Coomassie, Wushishi, Jemibewon, Kachako: No to zoning

Johnchuks Onuanyim, Abuja & Godwin Isenyo, Kaduna

A WEEK after it requested for N72 billion to revalidate the voter register for the 2011 election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has jacked up its demand to N82 billion.

The INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, had, in his maiden press conference announced that the commission would need between N55 billion to N72 billion to effect a credible compilation of a new voter register between August and November.

He had explained that the figure was arrived at by the commission, following extensive consultations with experts in electronic voter registration, logistics, manufacturers and vendors of electronic data capture equipment.

But yesterday, INEC said that the Commission would need another N10 billion for hazard allowances and other expenses.

According to the Commission, apart from the N72 billion required to compile a fresh register and provide for training and logistics, “INEC will require another N10 billion to cover hazard allowances and sundry allowances”.

Explaining how this came about, the Commission said there was a funding gap of almost N10 billion in its budget and that sundry expenses such as hazard allowances were not captured by the budget.

The Commission’s Bulletin quoted Jega as saying that its budget glossed over allowances which were obligatory.

“Even the N10 billion will not be sufficient. It has to be augmented. If this is provided, we will do a credible election,” said Jega.

Meanwhile, Jega has denied meeting with the former Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Tony Anenih and former Minister of Sports, Samaila Sambawa, as reported by one of the national dailies (not the Nigerian Compass) yesterday.

In a statement from Jega’s Chief Press Secretary (ACF), Mr. Kayode Idowu, Jega denied having any meeting whatsoever with the duo collectively or separately.

Idowu said: “The attention of the Hon. Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru M. Jega, has been drawn to a report in a national daily alleging that he met sometime last week with Chief Tony Anenih of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The story further claimed that the INEC chairman earlier held a meeting with former Minister of Sports, Samaila Sambawa.

“The INEC Chairman wishes to categorically state that he never met with the persons alleged in the story; neither does he intend to do so. He did pledge at his inauguration on June 30 that his contact with politicians will be restricted to the dictates of his constitutional duties as an impartial Umpire. He remains resolutely committed to that pledge. He also assures that he is working for the Nigerian people, not any political party or interest group.

“Even by its sheer content, the story is evidently an outright falsehood and mischievous. The most elementary codes of journalistic practice require that the reporter, who did not attribute his information to any source, should have checked out with the INEC chairman, or indeed with Anenih or Sambawa, whether such meetings ever held. The story reflected nothing of the sort – showing it to be an idle concoction of the reporter. It was also obviously intended to impugn the integrity of the whole electoral process.

“Jega restates that the historic task of conducting credible elections in Nigeria should be by constructive engagement of all stakeholders, including the media. He calls on Nigerians to discountenance the false report by some national dailies and solicits the cooperation of all in the task ahead.”

Meanwhile, the pan Northern socio-cultural organisation, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) yesterday in Kaduna distanced itself from the current debate over zoning and rotation of the nation’s presidency.

The Forum said that it has absolute faith in the supremacy of the nation’s constitution which is above any other agreement or arrangement of any political party in the land.

Chairman of the Forum, General IBM Haruna (rtd), who spoke at a Round Table meeting of selected stakeholders in the region , also insisted that the issue of zoning was purely a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) affair, saying that the organisation would not interfere with the internal arrangement of the party on the contentious zoning and rotation of the nation’s presidency in the 2011 election.

However, the Chairman warned against tampering with the constitution or the electoral reforms as a result of zoning and the rotation of elective offices, pointing out that it stands by the nation’s constitution in tackling the issue of zoning.

This is coming barely 24 hours after the 19 Northern governors said that zoning was a PDP affair and that President Goodluck Jonathan and indeed other Nigerians were free to contest.

Said the ACF boss: “Recent political events have given rise to questioning the role, purpose and limits to the role of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) in the political firmament engendered by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the post-Obasanjo regime and the passing away of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

“In as much as the Obasanjo Constitutional Reform Agenda was to promote his third term and subsequent self succession, the same cannot be said of this latter day zoning and rotation PDP agreement, which can be enforced by the PDP or amended by them as they had done in the past.

“PDP, zoning and rotation do not call for any amendment of the constitution or even the Electoral Law.

“We have to remind ourselves that in the Nigerian Federation (not confederation), we practise presidentialism (not parliamentary cabinet system where the Prime Minister is first among equals) – its 150 million people, in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory; its 774 Local Government and its over 250 ethnic nationalities each have to express and seek to promote democracy and have to find workable system that would effect good governance, in a multi-party democratic practice.

“In our growth in democracy, we seek to build a plural cultural society that shuns domination or marginalisation of any group and promotes the upholding of fundamental human rights. Therefore, the ACF, as an umbrella body of the historical Northern Region, can only fulfil its purpose as set out in its Constitution. It is a Consultative Forum of the peoples of the erstwhile Northern Region.

“While the ACF has been engaging its efforts to encourage unity in the North and promote security and peace in the North and indeed Nigeria, it is constrained by its constitution and therefore, it cannot leap into the bounds of a political party domestic affair or the preserves of the 19 Northern Governors.”

Prominent Northerners at the stakeholder meeting included Alhaji Saidu Barda, Mallam Mohammed Haruna, Mr. Hassan Hyet, Brig. Gen. David Bamigboye, Col. Musa Shehu, Major General David Jemibewon, Alhaji Yusuf Idris, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Gusau, Dr Nasirudeen Usman, Brig. Gen. Mohammed, Hajia Halima Alfa, Alhaji Audu Sule, Mohammed Abdul and Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed.

Others were Alhaji Bala Sokoto, Mr. Anthony Sani, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, Alhaji Garuba Mohammed, Alhaji Ahmed Jalingo, Isa Kachako, Sheik Jarma, Gen. Garba Wushishi, Mr. John Paul, Burka Zarma, Idris Wada, Alhaji Aminu Attah and Mustapha Ahmed.