UNDP, INEC charge stakeholders on 2015 polls

[TGD]

 AHEAD of the 2015 polls, stakeholders in the country have been urged to strive to develop workable strategies to meet the electoral challenges facing the country.

The call was made in Abuja Tuesday at a two-day multi-stakeholders forum on elections in Nigeria under the theme: "Tasks and Responsibilities towards 2015 Election," organised by Democratic Governance for Development project of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP/DGD) in collaboration with Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society, media and other stakeholders.

Addressing participants at the forum, the UNDP/DGD Project Director, Dr. Mourtada Deme noted that setting a clear stakeholders' agenda into the future could make Nigerians hopeful of fair and credible elections that would give voters real choices for their voices to be heard.

According to Deme: "Improvement of the electoral process, legal and constitutional reforms may also be required. INEC has already made considerable progress in developing and advocating for a set of priority reforms that can improve the electoral process. But without the cooperation of stakeholders from the National Assembly to parties and the media, reviewing the constitution or amending it will be a difficult task."

In a similar vein, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega said the commission had been working round the clock to ensure that things were put in place before the 2015 polls.

Jega added: "While INEC has a primary and constitutional responsibility to ensure that all aspects of the electoral process operate without a hitch, the task of planning and managing the process involves many critical organisations and groups of persons so much that all hands need to be on deck in order to ensure that the 2015 general elections are freer, fairer and more credible than those in 2011."

 

Jega who was represented by INEC Commissioner, Dr. Abdulkadir Oniyangi, said each of the groups and interests from security agencies, civil society organisations, National Assembly, professional associations, such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), media and political parties have tremendous roles to play in ensuring the success of the elections.



The Guardian