Jega: Troblue At First Hurdle

Like a bump on a log, many were indeed dazzed. The despondency that marred the hearts of many Nigerians on a day when they left their abodes to perform their civic responsibility that have in the past been treated with kid gloves, is beyond words. The postponement of the NASS elections till monday by INEC, is an action that have torn the opinions of many Nigerians. Many have been swift to come to the defence of INEC boss, Attahiru Jega. Their reason is hinged upon the fact that instead of doing a shabby job as many in his shoes would have done, he had opted for a postponement to get it right. Moreover, they claim, it wasn't Jega that failed, but those under him. Surely, these are points that could make a case for him, but at a time when we thought that excuses in our electoral affairs have gone extinct, the cankerworm returns to hunt us. At the first time of asking, Jega and his co-horts could not deliver the goods. While it is a truism that he cannot supervise every polling station at the same time, the demands of leadership makes him a sacrifical lamb. This is a bad omen for the remaining elections, and the fears that materials had already gone out before the announcement of the postponement, thus, a leaway for rigging, cannot be dismissed as untenable. Indeed, even at our state of gloom, it a expedient that we give Jega the benefit of the doubt and wait till monday before we write his epitaph. However, one thing is certain, you cannot get a second chance to create a first impression.