The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has assured Nigerians that the 2015 elections would be better than the 2011 elections, even though he cannot promise a perfect election.
The INEC chairman made this known yesterday, during a courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters by the new United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle
Jega said INEC would this week embark on a retreat to finalise the 2015 election timetable and consider the budgeting for the Continuous Voter’s Registration to be conducted this year.
He explained that the retreat would also focus on other specific aspects that relate to the preparation for the general elections.
INEC, according to him, was presently taking some steps that will ensure a credible 2015 election, which include staff training as well as consultations with development partners.
Speaking earlier, Entwistle had said they were at the commission to seek ways of assisting the electoral body towards the 2015 general election preparations.
The ambassador revealed his intention to learn about the nation’s election processes, especially during the forthcoming elections as well as its democracy.
He expressed the hope that the 2015 elections would be better than previous election experiences’ in Republic of Congo, where he was ambassador before.
The envoy, who also commented on the anti-gay bill, which was recently signed into law by President Goodluck Jonathan, said: “The issue of same sex marriage is very controversial all over the world, including my country where 17 states out of 50 have considered it.”
