WE LACK CAPACITY TO MONITOR PARTY FINANCES - JEGA
….Confirms arrest of Inec Ict Head in Ibadan
BY BEN AGANDE
ABUJA - Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has admitted that the commission lacked the capacity to monitor the funds being spent by candidates and political parties in the run up to next month's elections, saying this is one area that the commission would strengthen after the elections.
Jega, who disclosed this yesterday when he met with members of the Civil Society Organisations in Abuja, also confirmed that the head of the Information and Communication Technology Department of the commission in Oyo State had been arrested for being in possession of six Direct Data Capturing machines in a hotel with four other persons who are not staff of the commission.
According to the INEC boss, though the Electoral Act empowers the commission to monitor funds being expended by parties and candidates, the commission does not 'have the capacity to effectively monitor the finances of the political parties. I regret to say that we are unable to monitor the use of money in the run up to the elections. This is one of the things that we will do after the elections.'
On the procedures for the April elections, Jega said accreditation of voters would commence nationwide by 8 a.m. and would close by noon while elections would commence at all polling stations by 12:30 p.m. to allow for the possibility of those who were on line before the end of the accreditation period to be captured.
ICT head nabbed with 6 DDC machines
Speaking on the incidence in Ibadan, Jega admitted that the head of ICT of the commission in Ibadan was arrested in a hotel with six DDC machines and four other persons who are not staff of INEC.
He said: 'The Head of the ICT Unit in Ibadan was caught in a hotel room with four others with six DDC machines. He has been arrested. We are doing our best to investigate to determine how much damage has been done to our data. A new ICT head has been sent to take over.'