The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Maurice Iwu has promised that the sequence of the 2007 elections will be announced by the Commission after it has completed all the necessary consultations with stakeholders to ensure that the elections is credible and acceptable to the people. Professor Iwu gave this hint when he received the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. John Campbell in his office. He noted that the acrimonies and buck-passing that characterized previous elections in Nigeria were caused by non involvement of the stakeholders in decisions taking by previous Electoral Bodies. He said the establishment of the Stakeholders Election Forum has afforded the Commission an avenue through which the Commission has received views and opinions from the public on how to plan for the 2007 elections, pointing out that INEC will synthesize these opinions and reach an agreeable and acceptable sequence of elections that will satisfy the sincere intentions of the Commission for conducting the most credible elections in the history of the country. The INEC chairman informed the visiting envoy that the introduction of technology into the electoral process was deliberately done to ensure a complete departure from past electoral systems, adding that the previous systems allowed for manipulations and cheating by a political class that had developed enough sophistication to manipulate and rig elections even before they were conducted. He explained that the present Commission will use all available avenues to collect information which will assist it succeed, pointing out that a National Forum to look at issues of election violence, women participation in politics and changing mindsets, will give INEC the added impetus to plan appropriate strategies in collaboration with relevant agencies for a peaceful, free and fair elections in 2007. Professor Maurice Iwu also informed the American Ambassador that the Commission will continue its aggressive voter education drive because it is the only way that electors will have confidence in the electoral process in Nigeria. He also said that Nigerians will have to be educated on all the processes and procedures involved in the conduct of elections so that they will not be easily manipulated. Ambassador John Campbell expressed his country’s confidence in the ability of Nigerians to implement the continuous process of democratization which calls for the observance of the rule of law. He said the United States of America is ready and willing to assist Nigeria in this process provided the requests for such assistance are made by the appropriate agencies either of government or the Civil Society Organizations. 

 Pastor Segun Adeogun

Director Public Affairs