By Simon Ebegbulem
BENIN—THE Centre for Informed Choice, CIC, a non-governmental organisation, has described the nomination of Prof. Attahiru Jega as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as a wake up call for Nigerians to rise to the task of defending the nation’s “wobbling democracy.”

The group said  “by this nomination, the Federal Government appears to be saying that it is ready to conduct free and fair elections in the country, starting with the 2011 general elections.”

In a statement by its Director of Programmes, Mr Felix Oriakhi, it said, however, that the nomination of Prof. Jega  may not bring an end to electoral fraud in the country, given the degree of decay in the system, unless all Nigerian make concerted efforts to ensure credible election in the country.

“We believe that the choice of Jega is a starting point on the journey to  free and fair elections in the country.

The Nigerian people must , therefore, rise to the wake up call of Jega’s chairmanship of INEC and mobilize for free and fair elections in 2011. The Nigerian people must rally round and mobilize support for Jega to bring about credible elections,” it said.

Admonishing politicians to play by rules of the game, the group said, “corrupt politicians should go to either River Niger or River Benue to wash themselves of their political dirt.”