Jega won’t resign or go on terminal leave – INEC

by Damilola Jagun

In spite of mounting pressure on him, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, says he has no intention to proceed on a terminal leave.

According to Jega’s Chief Press Secretary, Kayode Idowu, the INEC boss is occupied with preparation for the elections, and as such, he is not entertaining any thoughts of going on leave.

In an interview on a TV programme in Lagos, on Tuesday, February 10, Idowu said Jega’s appointment was not guided by civil service rules and would serve until the end of his tenure on June 30.

He said, “Jega is busy preparing for the elections and you are asking about terminal leave. Does anyone planning to conduct elections go on terminal leave? There is nothing like that.”

Idowu said the postponement of the elections would give room for better preparation for the polls, while also denying the report that Jega had resigned as a result of intense pressure from the presidency. He said: “No, that’s (resignation) is not true, he has not resigned. He didn’t resign. It is a mere rumour.”

Speaking in a similar vein, the minority leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, said Jega could not be ordered to go on a terminal leave because he was not a civil servant.

He said: “I do not consider the Chairman of INEC as a civil servant subject to civil service rules the same way I, as a member of the House of Representatives, is not a civil servant. There is a difference between a civil servant and a public servant or officer. Jega falls under the latter.”

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