With 38days left to the general election, President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday swore in a new INEC commissioner.
The President swore in Prof. Akinola Murtala Salau as a new Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commissioner urging him to demonstrate to Nigerians the quality he is made of.
The president who charged Professor Attahiru Jega and INEC to do everything to ensure that all Nigerians have their voters’ care equally called on the commission to be neutral in their work at ensuring a credible election.
In an event held at the Presidential Villa, Jonathan said Salau deserved to be congratulated, because he is somebody who should have resumed office long ago but for some issues that made government to step it down.
“These are the kind of people we want to put in INEC – people with impeccable character. So, Prof., we want to charge you to go and demonstrate clearly that you are somebody with an impeccable character and that you will do good to all Nigerians irrespective of anything.
“INEC is supposed to be absolutely neutral is their work to conduct credible election because the whole world is watching at INEC and you are coming into INEC at a very critical time with 40 days to election. So you are coming at a critical time that I believe the chairman who is here himself also need your services.
“I believe Prof Jega will even want to double the number of staff if he has the resources to make sure that they can cope. Because Nigerians are getting worried weather INEC can actually conduct elections.
“Talking about the PVC, even some governors are complaining that they are yet to get their PVC. If governors are yet to get their voters cards of course that means that so many Nigerians are yet to get and people are a bit worried.
In another development,President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday officially unveiled the trophy of the President’s Cup; a teenage football tournament designed to discover young talents and raise them.
