Unto 2015 elections: I was not afraid – Jega

The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, said despite plans to scuttle the March general election, he was not afraid.

Jega also said although a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe, came out to attack INEC, he said his team was determined to ensure the tabulation and announcement of poll results.

He said contrary to some insinuations, the contract for the production of the card readers was almost three years before political permutations began.

The former INEC chief spoke in an interview with ZERO

TOLERANCE Magazine, which is an in-house publication of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Asked if he was afraid of his life during the poll, Jega said: “No! Anybody who is afraid for his life will not do this kind of job.

“As you know, they say “death is a necessary end. It comes when it will come.”

“So we did not best knowing that if God wills, people can drop and die; but as long we are alive, we will continue to do our best under all circumstances.”

He said Orubebe did not succeed in scuttling the announcement of the presidential election results because INEC management team was determined to conclude the computation of the results.

He said: “The fact of the matter is that all of us in INEC were determined to conduct free fair, credible and peaceful elections and by the time we came to collation it became evident that we had done our best professionally.

“So, we were determined to ensure that no matter the provocation we would ensure that the results were tabulated and announced. There were all shots of allegations and accusations, but knew we had not done anything to warrant such allegations and accusations.”

The erstwhile chairman of INEC defended the use of card reader and rated its success higher.

He said it was an innovation that has come to stay.