The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has said that there were `new developments’ that needed to be addressed before the conduct of the 2015 general elections.
Jega made the remark on Saturday in Abuja when he and other officials of the commission met with representatives of the registered political parties at the commission’s headquarters.
He said that the inputs of the leaders of the political parties were important in addressing the new developments.
He said that though the commission had its regular meeting with the political parties last week; it now became necessary to hold another meeting before the commencement of the 2015 elections.
“The main purpose of this meeting is to update you on the commission’s preparation for the 2015 elections, draw your attention to some new developments and get your inputs as to how the commission should address them.
“This meeting will raise the new developments and get your inputs as to how the commission should address the challenges,” he said.
In his remark, Dr Yunusa Tanko, the Chairman, Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), said the council had been advocating that it should be considered whenever the commission was taking any decision.
“The council has right from onset been making tremendous contributions to our democracy.
“But unfortunately, the issues that all of us have been raising long before now have never been considered or put into perspective,” Tanko said.
He urged the leaders of the political parties who attended the meeting to put Nigeria first in their responses to the new developments mentioned by Jega.
NAN reports that officials of the commission and the representatives of the registered political parties later went into a closed door meeting.
Jega is expected to brief newsmen on the decisions reached during the closed door meeting by 5:00 p.m.
