The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, has told Zimbabwean soldiers that he will ensure every vote counts in the 2011 elections.

Mr. Jega was speaking when military personnel from the Zimbabwe Staff College visited him at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja over the weekend.

The leader of the delegation, Thomas Moyo, a Brigadier, said his group was in Nigeria to assess preparations for the 2011 elections. He said they chose Nigeria out of the African nations preparing for elections because the two countries have so many things in common.

The chairman noted that previous elections were predicated on a dubious framework which the present commission was ready to correct by ensuring that fresh voters’ registrations are carried out.

Mr. Jega appealed for citizen participation to ensure the election’s success. He noted that over the years people have become apolitical as a result of massive electoral rigging and manipulation.

Following the constitution amendment, elections will now hold in January while guidelines for the elections will be released this month, said Mr. Jega. However, he assured the nation that, by November, the voters’ registration exercise will be over and by early December it will be certified.

By Special correspondent