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Despite
his insistence that his administration will organise free and fair
elections in 2011, President Goodluck Jonathan does nor appear serious
about electoral reform, the opposition Action Congress (AC) has said.

The party, in a
statement issued by its national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, the
party said Nigerians should not be deceived by the president’s
assurances, and should instead judge him by his efforts so far in that
direction (electoral reform).

Backing up its
assertion, the party said from all indications, all the recommendations
made to Mr Jonathan by the sub-committee on electoral reforms of the
Presidential Advisory Committee (PAC) have been jettisoned. The party
said highlights of the recommendations, made to Mr Jonathan on May
19th, include that he should invite governors elected on the platform
of opposition parties as well as all opposition presidential candidates
in the 2007 general elections to make recommendations on appointments
into INEC.

The president was
also advised to inform security agencies concerning their role before,
during and after elections; vigorous enlightenment campaigns by the
government using the National Orientation Agency and the media on why
every vote must count and ensuring that electoral materials are ready
long before elections to avoid delays in voting and ensure all voters
vote simultaneously.

“The party regrets
that none of these recommendations has been implemented by the
president, with just a few months to the next elections,” the party
said, as it urges the PAC members to resign or they would be seen as
part of what is increasingly looking like a deliberate effort to stifle
the success of the 2011 elections.

“The general
feeling is that the president is not following PAC’s recommendations in
carrying out the decisions he has made so far, especially in the
appointments into INEC. If this is not so, it is better for the members
to quit instead of soiling whatever reputation they have built over the
years,” the party said.

Look at Uwais report

The party said if
Mr Jonathan is truly committed to electoral reforms and wants to
guarantee free and fair polls in 2011, he should adopt wholesale the
recommendations of the Uwais panel, especially as it relates to
appointments into INEC.

“People have said
Prof. Attahiru Jega, the INEC chairman-designate, is a fine gentleman
with impeccable credentials. We agree, but we will like to say, again,
that those credentials may not matter much as far as the INEC job is
concerned. In the first instance, Jega is just one out of 50 INEC
commissioners, and he can only do so much in an environment polluted by
compromised national commissioners and RECs.

Secondly, there is a fatal flaw in the recent appointments of INEC
Commissioners and RECs. One of the National Commissioners is a member
of the PDP’s Board of Trustees. Another was a former gubernatorial
candidate of the PDP in Zamfara, while several others are known
sympathisers of some political parties,” added the opposition party.