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The opposition
Action Congress has urged the federal government to provide the
N72billion that the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) said it
needs to prepare a new voter register towards the preparation of a
credible election in 2011.

“Let the Jonathan
administration back up the president’s persistent assurance of
organising credible polls next year by giving the much-needed resources
to INEC so it can build a solid foundation for the 2011 elections by
compiling a fresh voters’ register,” the party stated. “Failure to
provide the money required for that purpose will translate to setting
up INEC to fail next year, and this will be a disaster for Nigeria.”

The party also
challenged the federal government and the National Assembly to provide
all the required financial resources and the legal framework
respectively to make it possible for INEC to organise successful
general elections next year. In a statement issued in Ilorin, on
Sunday, by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party
said that “the federal government must urgently provide the N55 to N72
billion which INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, said would be needed to
compile a fresh voters register for the critical elections.”

It also requested
that “the National Assembly must provide the necessary amendments to
the Electoral Act to facilitate the compilation of the fresh electoral
register, which is the single most important requirement for the
organisation of free, fair, credible and transparent polls next year.”
Stating that for a country “that has $37 billion in Foreign Reserves
and $3 billion in its Excess Crude Account, N72 billion – which is less
than 500 million US dollars – is but a very little price to pay for the
organisation of successful polls next year and the consolidation of the
country’s democracy.”

New Electoral Act

The party also
tasked the National Assembly to provide the legal framework by amending
the necessary sections of the Electoral Act, especially Sections 10 (5)
and 21. “As our party has noted, the belated amendment of the
Constitution, especially Sections 116 (House of Assembly), 132
(President) and 178 (Governors), to the effect that elections must hold
between 120 and 150 days before the end of their tenures, has created
huge problems for INEC and made it a fait accompli for the commission
to organise the 2011 polls based on the hugely discredited Iwu’s
voters’ register,” stated Mr Mohammed. “

But if the National
Assembly will put national interest above any other considerations and
stop playing cheap games, it can still salvage the situation by
postponing the commencement of the Amendments so that elections can
hold in April, and amending Sections 10 (5) and 21 of the Electoral Act
to give more time for fresh voter registration. Amending Section 10 (5)
of the Act will reduce the end of registration and updating to between
30 and 60 days, and provide additional 8-12 weeks to the 16 weeks
available to compile a new register. Also, amending Section 21 of the
Electoral Act will reduce time for compiling supplementary register,
after calling for objections, from 60 days to 30 days and give about 20
weeks to correct the new register.”

INEC had, last week Thursday, said it will require at least N55.1
billion to organise a “substantially more credible” voter’s register
ahead of the 2011 general election.