–Jega said attempts by the country to reform the electoral process would be a waste of effort except politicians changed their reckless mindset
Former INEC boss, Professor Attahiru Jega
Former chairman of the Independent National electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega has described Nigerian politicians as militicians’ who believe that political power, through election, has to be captured and this has to be done by hook or by crook.
He added that politicians had turned the nation’s electoral arena into a bloody battlefield characterised by political thuggery, snatching of ballot boxes and assassinations while creating fear in the minds of voters.
He added that attempts by the country to reform the electoral process would be a waste of effort except politicians changed their reckless mindset.
Mr Jega stated this when he spoke at the the 50th birthday ceremony of the National Legal Adviser of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Muiz Banire (SAN).
“ INEC, as an election management body, faced perhaps its greatest challenge containing the predisposition and reckless mindset of Nigerian politicians. I quite often say that Nigeria has a special breed of politicians – ‘militicians’.
“They generally tend to believe that political power, through election, has to be captured and this has to be done by hook or by crook; by any means necessary. For many, winning an election is literally a do-or-die affair. That is why the Nigerian political arena increasingly resembles a bloody battlefield with maiming, killing, burning, assassinations and unimaginable destruction of lives and property.
“As long as politicians continue to have unwholesome mindset, efforts at electoral reforms and deepening democracy would remain constrained and susceptible to reversal. This is, therefore, a key area of priority focus as we contemplate sustainable credible elections in Nigeria.”
Recall that Mr Jega presided over INEC during the 2015 general election
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