Former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, has strongly defended the involvement of academics in Nigeria's electoral process, asserting that professors consistently reject bribes offered by politicians during elections.
Speaking at the June 12 Democracy Day edition of The Platform, a socio-political programme hosted by Covenant Nation in Lagos on Thursday, Jega emphasized that academics have significantly enhanced the integrity of Nigeria's electoral system.
"Election was terrible by the time we came to INEC. I was lucky, I was a co-chairman of the Committee of Vice Chancellors before I went to INEC," Jega explained. "So, I used the vice-chancellors to help us get academic staff with good, transparent selection criteria, which they vouch for. That's how we started using academic staff during elections."
Jega, who served as INEC chairman from 2010 to 2015, pioneered the deployment of university professors and vice-chancellors as returning officers and ad hoc staff during elections. He maintained that isolated cases of electoral misconduct by a few academics should not diminish the overall positive impact of their involvement.
Academics' Contribution to Electoral Integrity
The former INEC chairman highlighted that even when other professional bodies such as the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) expressed interest in participating in election administration after the 2011 elections, INEC maintained its collaboration with academics.
"Up till 2015, in fact after the 2011 elections, the NBA and the NSE all came and said they wanted to participate in the elections but we said: 'Look, when you are doing something and it works, why change it?'" Jega recounted.
He emphasized the ethical standards maintained by academics involved in the electoral process: "A vice chancellor who has served 35 years in the university system, who has a few years to retire, a substantial overwhelming majority of them are not going to damage their integrity that they built over the years on the matters of election."
Jega's comments come amid ongoing discussions about improving Nigeria's electoral processes and ensuring the credibility of future elections in the country.
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