The European Union has thrown away diplomatic niceties by pointedly accusing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Prof. Maurice Iwu, of incompetence and using the organization as an excuse to cover up his inability to conduct free and fair polls.
The EU is angry over allegations by Iwu that his agency turned down several million Euros from the organization leading up to the controversial election which has resulted in the international community calling for his resignation and the voiding of the election.
Iwu was in Washington in continuation of efforts to present the official report of the election. “INEC rejected an offer of 10 million euros from the European Union (UN) based on principles. The offer was increased to 20 and later 40 million euros, but it was rejected. The animosity with EU began when INEC rejected their request to sit in the Commission’s meetings and to have a copy of voters tabulated electronically,” Iwu said.
But an EU official denied the claim and accused the INEC chairman of deliberately frustrating the mission of the observers to achieve a desired end.
“We were invited by the Commission in line with internationally accepted standards, but when we asked for proof to determine its preparedness for a free and fair polls, the INEC refused to grant our request,” a top official stated. The official said the grant to INEC was in line with a commitment to ensure it has enough resources to get the job done.
“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo requested for our assistance and the grant was not intended to influence the agency as is being speculated by Iwu,” the official stated. The agency said it was suspending further funding of all elections in Nigeria until the country provides a detailed breakdown of earlier funds to train and educate poll workers and officials.
“The INEC chairman should be worried that the election under his watch has been rated the worst in the nation’s history by both local and international observers and not hold the EU responsible for his poor performance,” the official said. He also announced that the EU is reviewing further assistance to Nigeria for as long as Iwu remains the INEC boss.
But for the EU and others pushing for the resignation of Professor Iwu, they may have to forget it as the INEC boss has ruled out that option.
“Some people have called for my resignation. These are partisan people who wanted to be in power at all cost. Some people are partisan; they have media; they shout and they shout loudest. I just made a presentation and you can see the support of Nigerians who have now had the facts,” he said.
Iwu gave his agency a pass mark on the conduct of the election. “One thing is a fact. The fact is that the election was a triumphant movement on the part of Nigerians from one civilian elected government to another. That is something that nobody can remove from Nigeria,” he said.
Explaining the rationale behind INEC’s presentations abroad, he said it would afford Nigerians in the Diaspora the opportunity to hear the facts in order to make judgments themselves. “In terms of public opinion, we are trying to capture our people, as many as possible, in terms of their knowing what happened at the elections and then be able to form their own opinion,” he remarked.
By IKE NNAMDI, Washington DC
The Sun
Thursday, December 20, 2007
