Abuja — As the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prepares to release the 2011 general election timetable tomorrow, the Action Congress (AC) has warned that INEC Chairman Maurice Iwu should not be involved in any way in the elections if they are to be credible.

The party said in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed that Iwu, who organised the worst elections in the country's history in 2007, is synonymous with election malfeasance and vote heist in its crudest form.

It said the report about the release of the election timetable attributed to the INEC boss had called to question the commitment of Acting President Goodluck Jonathan to electoral reforms, which is widely believed to be one of the key areas where he wants to make a difference.

AC said: "How can we be talking of the 2011 general election when the much-awaited electoral reform has not even started? How can we be talking of the 2011 general election when the fate of the much-acclaimed report by the Uwais panel is not yet known? Is this a joke or what?

"Election rigging is not carried out only on election day. It is a culmination of a series of processes, including voters' registration. As we have seen during the last Anambra gubernatorial election in which over 83 per cent of voters were disenfranchised, the voters' register is a key tool for rigging, especially in the hands of Iwu's INEC.

"Therefore, a biased and incompetent electoral umpire like Iwu should not be allowed to handle the registration process, not to talk of the elections, unless of course we are determined to ensure that votes will never count in Nigeria, in which case we should say goodbye to democracy."

The party noted that fortunately for the country and for all those who seek free and fair elections, Iwu is supposed to have started his terminal leave this month, as his current tenure is due to expire on June 17, 2010.

"Yes, Iwu's tenure can be extended, but we know this will not be done by any government that is determined to bequeath a legacy of free, fair and peaceful elections to the country. Iwu has embarrassed Nigeria and the entire black race enough. He should be allowed to go home now," AC added.

The party said if Iwu is allowed to organise the 2011 polls, there would be no need to hold elections at all next year.

"INEC and the PDP should just compile a list of their handpicked candidates for the various posts and declare them selected instead of subjecting Nigerians to another round of phony elections," the party said.