by S’ola Filani

The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega has said that Nigerian politicians are making things difficult for him, the commission and the upcoming February elections.

According to him, Nigerian politicians are cutting corners at the expense of the acceptable convention posing a major impediment to free and fair election in the country.

While speaking at the Bayero University, Kano (BUK) yesterday, he specifically stressed that Nigerian politicians were “too difficult to handle.’’

He said that the commission was not composed of magicians, pointing out the level of successes to be recorded by INEC in the forthcoming elections would depend on the cooperation of the people.

Jega said: “Good elections are not the business of the election managers alone. Politicians want to win by hook or by crook; they induce and entice INEC officials and if they fail, they threaten them because it is an investment that they want to win at all costs.

“INEC is not a magician, we can make mistakes. The problems with elections are enormous and most politicians don’t play by the rules, but the fact remains that we are democratising and it would take time to clear the Aegean stable and every stakeholder has to thrown in his/her best.”

Sola