INEC Says 2015 General Elections May Hold In January

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has stated that if given the approval, the 2015 general elections will hold either in January or February of that year.

Chairman, INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega, made this known at a two-day international workshop on "Ethics and Elections: Challenges and Institutional Responses" organised by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation in Abuja.

The INEC boss also canvassed direct line charge of funding for State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) to further strengthen the Commission.


On why the 2015 elections might hold earlier than the normal date, Jega said the 2011 general elections would have been held earlier to allow for resolution of litigations before the inauguration date of May 29, but for the voters registration exercise which preceded it.

While lamenting that pre-election cases, which dealt with disagreements arising from nominations and primaries had to drag on for years into the tenures of some candidates, Jega expressed hope that the judiciary would henceforth not deal with such cases routinely but adopt a business-like approach.

He said, "The key challenge is when these cases go on forever; they are not given priority. Three years after, we're still dealing with pre-election cases."

He added that, "if their funding can be guaranteed like INEC's, it can go a long way."

On independent candidacy, the INEC chairman said it was a position which had been canvassed and which he supported, but insisted that given the number of political parties, there was the need to set regulations, thresholds and benchmarks. "We've many political parties as it is," he observed.