Mr Jega joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP)

Former INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega
Attahiru Jega, a former head of Nigeria’s electoral body, INEC, has joined partisan politics.
Mr Jega joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), according to the chairman of the party’s board of trustees, Balarabe Musa.

The former university chancellor and activist led INEC from 2010 to 2015.
The 2011 election supervised by Mr Jega produced Nigeria’s first leader from a minority ethnic group. The 2015 election produced the first opposition victory at the political centre in Nigeria’s history.
He left office in 2015 after the general election that year.

It was not immediately clear when Mr Jega joined the PRP, but Mr Musa said discussions around it began three months ago.
“I first learn three months ago from our party chairman that he was joining us,” Mr Musa, a former governor of Kaduna State, told PREMIUM TIMES Friday night.
He described the move as a major one for the PRP, which is one of the numerous smaller parties dwindled by the ruling APC and opposition PDP in Nigeria.

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“The PRP has opened up to encourage elite, intellectual and people with resources to help build our party,” Mr Musa said. “We hope it will help the party to be more relevant.”

The politician also said the PRP is opened to other Nigerians who might be disillusioned with the main political parties.
“We are also opened to ordinary Nigerians to join our party,” he said.
Mr Jega could not be reached for comments Friday night.