By Clifford Ndujihe
LAGOS—BARRING last-minute hitches, Prof Attahiru Jega will be cleared and appointed National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, tomorrow. President Goodluck Jonathan nominated him for the prime position a fortnight ago and his nomination had been endorsed by the National Council of State.

Vanguard learnt that Jega would face members of the Senate for screening tomorrow and his nomination, sources said, would be ratified when the Senators resumed from a two-week recess.

Prof Attahiru Jega

It was gathered that the former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, BUK, might not have problems in the Senate because “most senators, if not all, are favourably disposed to his appointment.”

Challenges before Jega

Aside implementing electoral reforms and conducting the much-sought credible polls, Jega is expected to deal with the question of staggered elections occasioned by recurrent flawed elections mid-wived by his predecessor, Prof. Maurice Iwu, in the last seven years.

When the bell tolls for the 2011 elections scheduled for November 2010  or April 2011, depending on the proposed new electoral law, nine of the 36 states will be ‘missing’ in action. For the first time in the history of electioneering in Nigeria, uniformity in the conduct of elections across the country will be set aside especially for the governorship polls.

This followed ruling by the Supreme Court that tenure of governors should start from when they were sworn in. Massive irregularities that characterized the Anambra State governorship election in 2003, as well as the 2007 elections compelled the courts to nullify nine governorship elections.

Opposing candidates were handed the governorship seats outright in Anambra, Edo,  Ondo and Rivers states, while re-run polls were ordered in five others. Consequently, the nine governors were sworn in on dates different from May 29, 2007 when their colleagues in 27 states assumed power.

The ‘missing’ states

States where the 2011 governorship elections would not hold are Adamawa, Anambra, Bayelsa, Edo, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo, Rivers and Sokoto.

In Anambra, the Supreme Court ruled that INEC should not to have conducted the 2007 governorship polls won by Mr. Andy Uba of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, because Governor Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, had not completed his tenure.

Obi contested for the position in 2003 but the INEC returned PDP’s Chris Ngige as the winner. He challenged the decision and won in 2006, three years after, and was sworn in as governor.

Less than two years into his tenure, the 2007 elections were held. He refused to contest but his party nominated his deputy, Mrs. Virgy Etiaba as its flagbearer. Uba won the election and was sworn in. He governed the state for 10 days. Obi returned to the courts, won and reclaimed his mandate from PDP. He was first sworn in, March 17, 2006, won his re-election on February 6, 2010 and would remain in office until 2014 unless the courts say otherwise.

In Rivers State, Chief Rotimi Amaechi won the PDP primaries but his party, few weeks to the April 14, 2007 electoral contest, dropped him as the flagbearer because of alleged fraud. The party fielded Celestine Omehia and won the polls. Omehia was handed the mandate, but Amaechi went to court and got a verdict. He was sworn in four months later, on October 26, 2007. Consequently, the next gubernatorial elections in Rivers will hold in August 2011.

In Adamawa, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Kogi and Sokoto states, the governors won the re-run elections ordered by the Court of Appeal and took fresh oaths of office.

Second term serving governors

Among the 27 states left, six have second term-serving governors who are constitutionally barred from re-contesting. They are Borno, Gombe, Kano, Kwara, Ogun and Osun. Governor Ibrahim Idris of Kogi is serving his second term but he was sworn in on March 31, 2008 after his victory in the April 14, 2007 election was nullified. He won the re-run polls held in February 2008. Consequently, the next governorship election in Kogi will hold in February 2012.