Election riggers will have tough times in 2015 ¬– Jega

Those planning to rig the 2015 general elections should have a rethink. This is as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it has introduced some innovations that will make rigging of the elections very difficult and almost impossible.

This is even as the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Suleiman Abba, has reassured that the 2015 general would be the best in the history of the country so far.

INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, disclosed this at a workshop organised for senior police officers in a paper titled: ‘Conduct of free and fair elections: INEC perspective.

He regretted that there were many loopholes in the electoral process prior to his assumption of office, which, according to him, eroded the confidence of Nigerians on the electoral process.

According to Jega: “One of the first things we did when we came in was to see how we can minimise fraudulent activities in the conduct of elections and we went back to the basics in the conduct of elections.

“First and foremost, we said our ballot papers must be serially numbered and in our country in 2007, even in presidential elections, our ballot papers were not serially numbered.

“Since 2011, we ensured that all ballot papers for our elections are serially numbered and in the distribution of these materials, we ensured party agents and other observers knew, which serial numbers go to each state and each local government, which ward and which pooling unit.

“So, if election observers and party agents are meticulous, a situation where ballot papers can move from one area can easily be avoided and if it happens, it can easily be known and easily addressed.

“We also ensured each ballot box we deployed is serially numbered, which will make us to know which ballot box is taken to which area.

“We have decided that all our ballot papers should be colour-coded. In 2011, we started a coding for ballot papers so that each state has its own different colour. It will, therefore, be obvious if you carry a ballot paper from one state to the other.”