Nigeria 2011 presidential polls - Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday protested the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use what is now known as the modified Open Secret Ballot System (OSBS) for the April general elections. The OSBS ensures that voters wait behind to hear the results of the polls after casting their votes. The PDP which was represented by the National Auditor, Dr. Samuel Ortom and the national organizing secretary, Uche Secondus told the meeting called by INEC that the party cannot guarantee the safety of its members who would be made to file for accreditation by 8am for a voting that will start about 12.30 pm.

The PDP instead voted for the old system where voters go to the polling unit any time they feel, vote and then go home.

He said INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega is to be held responsible if anything goes wrong if the people were meant to stay behind after voting so as to protect their votes.

Other political parties like the Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP) led by Prof. Barth Nnaji backed PDP and said villagers may find it very difficult to stay till the results were announced insisting that it was wrong for INEC to tell people to stay behind after casting their vote.

This was however challenged by other parties that felt that INEC had taken the best decision. Led by the National Secretary of the Congress for Political Change (CPC), Buba Galadima, the pro- vote and wait parties accused the PDP of complaining because they have been effectively checkmated by INEC.

However, Jega while reacting to the claims and demands of the PDP that the decision to adopt the Modified Open Ballot System be jettisoned said there was no going back on the accepted process of conducting the elections.

Jega said going back on the plan will take the hand of the clock backwards because already the staff have been trained on how to conduct the election using the new system even as he revealed that the decision to adopt the option was to eliminate fraud and rigging usually associated with elections in the country.

"We introduced this system where voters will come by 8am for accreditation; then they will wait for about four hours for the actual voting to begin so as to eliminate the previous manipulations. We also know it is a bit difficult but there is the flexibility of coming at ones convenience to do the accreditation and the voting".

On the issue of people staying behind to know the result of the elections, Jega said whereas it is not compulsory that all the voters should stay behind, he advised those that will choose to wait to be of good conduct warning that security agents will arrest anybody that attempts to foment trouble.

He rubbished the claims of the PDP and its supporters that the system worked in 1993 because then it was only two parties in an election organized by the military saying all modalities have been put in place for it to work.

"The system was used in 1993 and it looked perfectly okay, we also used it in the Delta State governorship re-run and it did not give us some of the problems you are afraid of, besides we have gone too far on this system to change it".

However, CPC used the opportunity to complain over the treatment its presidential candidate Gen. Mohammadu Buhari received in some of the states where he went to campaign.

Chairman of the CPC, Chief Tony Momoh regretted that in Nassarawa State, all the traditional rulers vacated their palaces when they learnt that Buhari was coming to pay them the usual courtesy call during the campaign tour.

He equally debunked claims that supporters of the CPC were the ones that caused the problem in Jos, Plateau State when he claimed his candidate was denied opportunity to campaign.

"It is unfortunate that when people were killed in Jos during our campaign tour, but the media seem to have bought the propaganda that t was the CPC that caused it. Mr. Chairman there must be some irreducible minimum standards if we really want to practice democracy in Nigeria".

In his own submission, chairman of the Labour Party (LP) Dan Nwanyanwu questioned why INEC is yet to redeploy some of the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and the Electoral Officers warning that if care was not taken, they will cause problems for the commission.

He said they are the ones that rig elections by either denying some areas the voting materials or over supplying some other areas.

He advised Prof. Jega to take a second look at the Legal department of the Commission saying "Mr. Chairman, you must take a second look and carry out a serious reorganization in your legal department or else they will ruin you the way they ruined Prof. Iwu, they are doing all manners of shady deals in that place and the earlier you addressed it the better for everybody".

In all INEC expressed confidence that the elections will be able to bring the much need desire of the people of Nigeria in having an election they can be proud of.

Jega explained that arrangements are already in to gear to ensure that al the logistics were put in place for the exercise.

He also revealed that already 530 Hilux vans have been acquired and distributed to all the states while another 100 units are expected. Also 60 motorized boats have been acquired for the riverine areas just as adequate arrangements have been made for the Navy and the Air force to take materials to some difficult terrains in the country.

Jude Opara

Daily Champion/24/03/2011