By Danlami Nmodu
Chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega has quit his post following the expiration of his tenure.
Jega handed over to Ambassador Mohammed Wali at the commission’s headquarters on Tuesday.After giving Wali the handover notes, Jega said he had written to inform the president about the end of his tenure.
He said that his tenure ended Monday and he chose to hand over today pending the appointment of an interim chair or a substantive one as the case may be.
Six other national commissioners also left the commission along with the chairman.
Jega was appointed in 2010 by former president Goodluck Jonathan.He supervised the 2011 election as well as the 2015 general polls.
The 2015 polls turned out to be one of Nigeria’s best ever chalking up another landmark achievement as an opposition candidate,APC’s Muhammadu Buhari defeated PDP’s incumbent candidate,then President Goodluck Jonathan.
It is generally believed that the reforms introduced by Jega -led INEC especially the introduction of the card reader prevented massive rigging by the incumbent,thus making the will of the people to prevail.Jonathan’s decision to accept the result of the polls has been equally hailed since that averted any election crisis earlier envisaged.
Jega’s performance and honourable exit did not come as a surprise to many.He had been an activist who rose to the post of national president of ASUU .He led ASUU to several battles against the military and he emerged as a principled and credible leader.
The successful 2015 general elections came as fitting icing on the cake of Jega’s credible record of service to the nation and humanity.
