The immediate past Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, has been selected for an award in the United States.
Jega will be honoured by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems with the 2015 Charles Manatt Democracy Award, a statement issued by the organisation said on Thursday.
The Professor of Political Science is to receive the award at a special ceremony in Washington DC on September 29. Also to be awarded is the US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Ed Royce.
“Chairman Jega’s leadership was instrumental to Nigeria’s successful general elections in 2015. He deserves full credit for his efforts to increase the credibility and transparency of the electoral process under extreme logistical challenges, such as terrorist threats from Boko Haram, where failure could prove the catalyst for predicted election violence”, the IFES President and Chief Executive Officer, Bill Sweeney, said.
According to the global electoral body, Jega’s expert management of the 2015 general elections positioned him as a credible election administrator.
“I am deeply honoured to accept the 2015 Democracy Award from the IFES. INEC’s long-standing partnership with the IFES in preparation for the 2015 general elections resulted in a credible process accepted by Nigerian citizens and the international community. These elections have put Nigeria on the right path toward democratic stability”, Jega was quoted as notifying the body of his acceptance of the award.
It would be recalled that in April this year, immediately after the March 28 Presidential election, the President Barack Obama commended Jega over the way the election was conducted.
Prof. Jega has since resumed as a lecturer at the Bayero University Kano following the expiration of his tenure as head of INEC last month.
