2015 presidential poll should not be like Anambra, Association tells INEC

The Association worries over controversies that trailed the Anambra elections.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has been urged to ensure that the 2015 presidential elections were free from glitches, and the controversies that dogged the just concluded Anambra Governorship election.

Making the call in Abuja, the Tax Payers Association of Nigeria, TAPAN,  expressed worry at the allegations that trailed the election.

The President of the Association, Phillip Ilokhulo, in a statement on Tuesday, also called on INEC to ensure proper handling of the review of voters register to eliminate cases of missing names.

TAPAN, which decried calls by some political parties for the total cancellation of the Anambra elections, urged those aggrieved to participate in the supplementary elections and, if they were still dissatisfied, to head to court.

“We do not think cancelling the whole exercise will be the right move because, like it or not, tax payers foot the bills. So, we agree you have the right to be aggrieved, but since areas with very obvious problems have been listed for supplementary votes, they should participate. But if they are still aggrieved, then, they should seek legal redress with their facts,” it said.

TAPAN however commended the Chairman of the Commission, Attahiru Jega, for the prompt action he took against all those found culpable in electoral malpractices.

The Association expressed its concerns over the controversies that trailed the election. Saying, that it knew Mr. Jega had good intentions, TAPAN, however, noted that the INEC Chairman needed to do more in the areas of the voters register and accreditation of voters.

The Association also called on political parties to ensure that they carried out proper voters’ education prior to elections. It insisted that Nigeria should not allow what happened in Anambra to repeat itself in the 2015 election.