By HENRY UMORU, JOSEPH ERUNKE & Levinus Nwabughiogu
CHAIRMAN of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Attahiru Jega, disclosed, yesterday, that it was not feasible for the Commission to conduct the 2015 general and presidential elections with electronic system.

According to him,  INEC would commence the distribution of permanent voters’ cards on May 23 this year and that the exercise will be done in three phases and the first batch will be in 12 states.
Speaking yesterday when he appeared before the Committee on Political Parties and Electoral Matters, Professor Jega explained that it became imperative not to use the system because the commission has been barred by law from using the electronic voting system for the conduct of the general election in 2015.

The Committee  is co-chaired by former Senate Presidents, Iyorchia Ayu and Chief Ken Nnamani.
The INEC boss, who  was represented by the National Commissioner in charge of operations, Mr. Nuhu Yakubu, said INEC has written to the National Assembly on the need to amend the said law before the 2015 elections.

Yakubu also told the Committee that INEC would require about 750, 000 polling units staff for the successful conduct of the 2015 general elections. About 500, 00 polling staff were used for the conduct of the 2011 elections. He said that the number was increased to 750, 000 as a result of INEC’s on-going delineation exercise.

He said that if the Commission succeeds with the use of technology in the conduct of the 2015 general elections, the issue of rigging will be made impossible, just as he  declared that the responsibility of conducting free, fair, credible and transparent elections in the country was not that of INEC alone.
INEC has been asked to appear before the committee on May 13 for further questioning.