This is exclusive interview conducted on August 13, Friday, 2010, by Republic Report in New York City with Mike Igini, Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] Commissioner for Cross Rivers State against the up-coming elections. Mr. Igini was recently appointed a commissioner alongside others, who were sworn-In recently.

New York [RR] New York—the full text of the interview with INEC Commissioner for Cross Rivers State, Mike Igini….

RR: Mike Igini how are you doing, we are Reporters with RepublicReport.com in New York City. It’s good to see you again, having known you since the University of Benin, [UNIBEN] days…anyways, welcome to New York City, how are you doing? what brought you to New York City?

Igini: I am in New York City on two week vacation with my family…

RR: You have been appointed as one of the INEC Commissioners… What’s going on in Nigeria with elections, et al, could you give us a synopsis of what’s going on in Nigeria, in terms of democracy, elections, and INEC?

Igini: We as Nigerians at home and in Diaspora, we are trying to organize, credible elections and to elect, credible leaders. Since 1959, Nigerians have never had credible elections…. Thus no credible leaders…we are trying to organize election that distinguishes itself from other forms of democracies around the world…that is why we are part of the process…

RR: If I heard you correctly, you said since 1959, Nigerians have never organized credible elections, for credible leaders to emerge…so… if we never had credible elections since 1959, how do you think you/INEC will organize credible election in a short period of time, and there is no credible Census since 1964, how can you conduct credible elections in this short time frame [4-months]?

Igini:  Let’s not muddle things up, yes, the time is a big issue, but note that voters Registration is quite different from Census….yes, census can assist with successful voters Registration, to get it right this time, nation-wide electoral exercise.

RR: But Voters Registration is interconnected to Census… can PHOTO: Mike Igini, INEC Commissioner Cross Rivers State interviewed by RepublicReport New York.

you cannot conduct credible elections without credible voters’ registration, and without credible specific statistical census…figures because in civilized society it takes 5 years, to organized credible voters’ registration, and elections… INEC Chairman Jega is asking for 56 billion which, he later on moved to 72 billion, now we heard, it’s 87.9 billion, Naira…

Igini: the issue is not census, the census is not tied to the success of elections.. what is important is voters’ registration, and it requires funds, unless you are talking about data, but to us it is not a problem. Voter Registration Nationwide, we are committed to it, now that we have a new credible Chairman, we have a population of 180 million people, we are asking for extra-time, the time frame is not enough, and the constitutional amendment also throw additional challenge, we need more time, time is too short, rather than using new voters registration, we are might and should  not go back to old voters registration. The first battle has been won that is going back to the new voters registration, we need at least eight months, we are talking about Direct Data capture [DDC] machines, we have to get them on the ground before January, 2011, otherwise , the whole process would have been compromised….. In Bangladesh they had voters Registration, which was successful, taking their idea of Voters Registration, it could be done here in Nigeria, locally.

We can get this electoral capacity directly from the manufacturers….India or Bangladesh.

RR: do you/INEC have the infrastructures… I mean we are talking about technology… the machines are they built indigenously… or are they coming from overseas or what?

Igini: I think they will buy the machines from manufacturers from some countries like Bangladesh or India, or so….all these need funds….

RR:  what went wrong here? Are we talking about lack of leadership, or are we talking about lack of preparedness, or both?  Let me finish, if we have good leadership, we will need to prepare early, rather than rush into things and get things compromised….

Igini:  You see, we are where we are as a country because since 1960, there have never been credible elections… no credible voters’ registration…..Nigeria, we simply need more time, we need funds, you do registration within 6 to 8 months.. How do you expect, I mean, what kind of miracle are we expecting here……the time frame is not enough… alternatively we have to use the old voters register otherwise, it would be compromised.

RR: Okay one more thing…scandals…so much scandals going on, corruptions, total breakdown of law and order, and there is kidnapping [and bombings] going on, hugely in former Eastern region; under lawless society, how do you conduct election or engage in voters’ registration under collapsed security, general insecurity? How are you going to go about conducting elections and conducting voters’ registration… how do you conduct voters’ registration when there is no security?  I don’t understand could you give some clarifications on this security piece…

Igini: Unfortunately, this is a very terrible aberration, in the sense that we are the only country were the states do not have their own police force. In a true federated system of government, states should have their own police force, to handle their own security, until we obtain a system of leadership that allow for state security with independent capacity that is interdependence with other states and federal police…..we might not be able to do any better security-wise… regarding DDC,  like I said, we are buying directly from manufacturers, and that would have saved money for the state, because middle-men would have been taking out of the equation. We should be commended for staying to salvage the country, some of you ran away after June 12, 1993, but we’re still here to save Nigeria from a possible precipice.

RR: Circumstances are difference at that time …. some were declared wanted and many were secretly killed by Nigerian State, but anyways… at least we agreed that we cannot conduct credible elections or credible voter registration or anything credible under these uncertainties and massive insecurity.…we also agreed that under insecurity it becomes an impossibility to conduct credible elections, voters’ registration, anything credible…

Igini: No… no, it’s not absolute, but when it started [security matters] in the Niger Delta, we warned the nation to be very careful, because, if kidnapping extends to the East, it will become a trade for Igbo; there is pocket of kidnapping in the S-west, etc, but it’s a national a shame…

RR: There is massive insecurity across the country, I mean how do you carry-out voters Registration under kidnappings, killings and more going on, how do you conduct election, what kind of result will you expect from this climate?

Igini: Again, it’s an aberration that this is the case in our society, that these things are going on, but it could be salvaged, if we work together as a nation. States do not have their own police command, they are not well kitted and we warned when this kidnapping started that we should be careful, because if spread to South-East, they Igbo will make it a trade like i said earlier on.

RR: Fed. Brought in Israel MOSSAD to track down those who kidnapped Journalists in the S-East… are we asking or looking forward for MOSSAD to assist us with security during elections?

Igini:  You know after 50-years we are still looking for foreign assistance in terms of security. It’s a national shame, Nigeria issue is the issue of leadership, we have to be able to establish better and right leadership. we have a new IG in person of Onovo Ogbonna, he is re-0rganizing the Nigerian police force and he understands the relevance of the 2011 elections, he is training and retraining the police force personnels. The difference between Europe and developing countries is central on leadership issue. For example, Lagos State, Fashola was able to revitalize Lagos, and today Lagos is doing well, it’s comes down leadership.

RR: Donald Duke of Cross Rivers State recently had an interview were he explained that Nigerian elections are no elections….in other words, Nigerian elections are heavily compromised. He talked about his 8-years experience as Cross Rivers State governor, that he saw it all, because he was involved, and concerned he decided to share this information with Nigerians. He said funds from Feds does come in late, pretty much in untimely fashion, which makes the state executives who are supposedly contestants, begins to dish out funds to assist electoral Commissioners or EO as you put it, and there by compromise the electoral Commissioners, etc.

Igini: Yes… the famous interview of former Cross State governor Donald Duke was very instructive… the would be contestants, being provided with cars, accommodations, etc, of-course makes them compromised ab-ini-to….

RR: [caught in]….that’s shocking to us…, Jega might be a man of good character, but he cannot be everywhere across the 36-state including Federal Capital territory [FCT] at the same time, and we have commissioners who are not equipped…. Duke says, this corruption is the features across the federation, if fed pays EOs 10 thousand, state governors pays them 50 thousand Naira…. and right there the problem begins…

Igini: Well… shocking to those of you who are in Diaspora and not to some of us, however Donald Duke’s remarks are quite revealing, quite instructive, but these issues are been taking seriously…in fact, they are being acted upon. I mean how can the would be contestants like a sitting governor be funding electoral commissioners with providing them with cars, accommodations, security,etc, what kind of election will that be…that is wrong, of course it’s compromised.  It’s inexplicable that electoral commissioner has no vehicles, funds, or you have electoral officers soliciting for the assistance from the state executive… it’s like a teacher giving and providing examination question papers to their students to take home, with answers to students, what kind of exam is that.  It comes down to funding and timely releasing of funds.  These problems are still there today, but again, with today’s leadership that will change and we are working on it. By the way, as at the time these things were happening, I was not a commissioner.

RR: Mike Igini you are just one Electoral Official [EO] for just one State… we are talking about 36-States, including Abuja Federal Capital Territory [FCT]. How would you say, 2011 election will be credible when we are still dealing with kidnapping, massive insecurity….and more… but again that was issue in the past you stated, what changed?

Igini: But again that was issue in the past..My interview in Lagos with GuardianNewspaper, I stated and explained these concerns; change of attitude on the side of Nigerians, a change of heart…internal party policy issues are  problems, and the so called godfatherism, etc, should change, political parties should obey their internal party constitutions, if they cannot obey their own internal rule, lack of internal democracy, how can they obey country’s constitution. For us to become the No.1 we claimed that we are, which we are not…. things have to change, we must change the way we do things.

RR: Credibility–do you think you are credible to conduct credible elections in Cross Rivers State… there were allegations against you during the Students’Union Government [SUG] era, in University of Benin [UNIBEN]. Reports alleged that late MKO Abiola gave some money to SUG during June 12, 1993, when you were the President Students’ Union Government; rumors had it that SUG and you allegedly, including your inner circle or some members of your Executive, diverted those funds for youselves…whats your reaction to these allegations, because political pundits are still raising dust in some quarters about the alleged missing funds… in print and electronically.

Igini: Abiola did not send a dime…

RR: Abiola didn’t send a dime….?

Igini: This is the first I am hearing that that under my leadership that Abiola sent money…  Carl. Umunnah you were part of my administration, you were close to me in the executive, part of my cabinet… Let me put this on record….that you are accusing me of fraud…and corruption, you were close to me…

RR: No, I was not in your Executive, I was in Parliament, and by the way, am not accusing you, its an allegation made against you, am not accusing you, they are allegations making waves.., if you didn’t collect any more you say, you didn’t collect any money from Abiola, that’s all, it’s not against you… rumors have it… funds were allegedly disbursted by late MKO Abiola that were allegedly unaccounted for in University of Benin….we are only attempting to link that to credibility question…in terms of INEC and up-coming elections…

Igini: Okay…. Abiola didn’t send a dime to students’Union Government… I am not aware of any money. Let’s separate it, I am not aware of it…and Abiola didn’t send any money to University of Benin….

RR: SECURITY—uncertainty, exaggerated tension, confusion across the land, OPC, MASSOB, AREWA, MEND and other groups are practically and vehemently seeking for a separate society… North say they still have 4 more years at the presidency, so how do you organize elections under these scary conditions across the land? MEND says, either Goodluck Jonathan or nothing, how can a nation run election under this conflicted conditions…what’s your opinion in all these….

Igini: Nigeria as a country, 50-years later have been through  a lot, yes various parts of the country are making demands. I as a lawyer, I can only speak from a legal stand point, under the constitution of the federal Republic of Nigeria, once you are  18-years….you have the right to contest election…they should contest….

RR: You didn’t answer my question they want to separate…

Igini: … it comes down to…. It falls on leadership issue, 50-years later, issues of alienation, people don’t feel included in the scheme of things… but if you people don’t want to build, then let’s forget about… I would have thought that having some of us in this process that would have been a step forward, the question you are asking would have been answered…

RR: These groups are armed….MASSOB, MEND, OPC, AREWA, Kidnappings, bombings, killings, etc, and under this conditions you are talking of credible elections? how?

Igini: The issue of MASSOB, MEND, OPC, Arewa, Kidnappings, killings, bombings, etc, are heavily loaded questions… I will try to answer them….

RR: Again, these groups are armed….MASSOB, MEND, OPC, AREWA, etc…

Igini: Where there is security, where people can make a good living, all these demands will fizzle out… that’s why some of you ran away….you should all come back and assist build the nation… that is why I have called for strong security commissioner and monitoring group during elections, if am caught giving any vote, one vote to any individual I should be arrested and, tried and where necessary jailed…

RR: Arrested by who… the place is compromised….the constitution is being questioned, they see it as military constitution….1999 edition…

Igini: Some of us accepted this position to make positive change and better the society….through our actions, we expect our actions will rise to a level, where-by the next generation will feel wanted in the society. All the names you mentioned OPC, MEND, MASSOB, have the right to contest… they exist because the issue of equity,  justice, the issue that society have been confront with for too long now still exist….

RR: 50-years later…

Igini: that’s why some of you ran away and you are saying 50-years later…come back home…. In any case, yes MASSOB makes a demand, OPC, MEND, etc, some feel they are second class citizens, some feel they are superior to others, injustice, equity, etc, should be address. Today, a few class have hijacked our national patrimony to themselves and that’s the major challenge we are going through, and that is why we are calling on all to take this election seriously. Again, if any Commissioner is found wanting in anyway, he/she should be arrested, tried, jailed, if I give a vote to anybody, I should be made to face jail term. If we do this it shall be well with us. If we do this, we can build a NEW Nigeria, a new nation, new society, where there is responsibility for all, where there can be fundamental democracy, the certainty of this job is tied on leadership; so that we will be judged by our actions, so that our children can judge us, or by future generation by our determination to better this country.

RR: Mike Igini thank you for being with us.. it was nice to see you and talk to you and… once again, thank you,  and we at RepublicReport New York wishes you well in your new assignment.

Igini: Thank you!!

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REPUBLICREPORT…standing between civilization and anarchy….