By Japhet Madaki
The Citizen Popular party (CPP), has queried the new leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over what the party described as "Jega's awesome bill to the nation" for the conduct of a fresh voter registration.
The party in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Maxi Okwu, condemned the inconsistencies by the electoral umpire, recalling that the country had deployed its resources during the reign of both Professors Maurice Iwu and Abel Guobadia with no corresponding result.
"We are constrained to raise a query on the appropriateness of Professor Attahiru Jega's awesome bill to the nation to conduct a fresh voter registration. Sums ranging from N55 billion, N72 billion and now N74 billion have been bandied about. This is exclusive of another N10 billion to cover costs for running the January 2011 elections proper."
"Between Guobadia and Iwu, the nation deployed enormous resources which it can ill afford on the elusive voters’ register without commensurate results. On each occasion the cheerleaders shouted everyone down that INEC request must be satisfied without question. What guarantee do we now have that we are not on that same road again? It is our considered opinion that Jega is about to make the same mistakes Iwu made four years ago. Jega does not control the production, supply nor market for the biometric laptops.
"We urge the National Assembly to go through INEC's N84 billion request with a fine tooth-comb. We also believe that the matter deserves a snappy public hearing. We are firmly of the view that the credible voters’ register, and genuine elections of our dreams, could still be achieved at less than half the cost being proposed by Jega."
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