Pressure mounted by President
Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists and
service chiefs on the Independent
National Electoral Commission led
to the postponement of the 2015
general elections, SUNDAY PUNCH
has learnt.
The polls were billed for February
14 (presidential and National
Assembly) and February 28
(governorship and House of
Assembly).
Jonathan, candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party, is contesting
against retired Gen. Muhammadu
Buhari of the All Progressive
Congress and 12 other candidates
at the presidential poll.
Those who pushed for the
postponement, despite the
opposition from the All
Progressives Congress and many
Nigerians, include the Presidency;
the Peoples Democratic Party
Jonathan’s loyalists; the National
Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo
Dasuki; the Chiefs of Defence, Army,
Naval and Air Staff, among others.
Two weeks ago, Dasuki, while
speaking at a forum at the Chatham
House in London, asked INEC to
postpone the elections, saying the
shift would allow for proper
preparations and distribution of
PVCs by the electoral body.
In an apparent reaction to Dasuki’s
call, the United States had on
January 25, 2015, advised Nigeria
against postponing the elections.
The US Secretary of State, Mr. John
Kerry, gave the advice after he met
with Jonathan and Buhari.
Kerry urged the Federal
Government not to postpone the
elections as canvassed by Dasuki.
However, the military chiefs wrote
to Jega, informing him of the
security implication of holding the
elections in February as earlier
scheduled. This, it was learnt, what
part of what influenced shifting of
the polls.
Before the INEC chairman
announced the new dates for the
elections, the commission had
insisted that the presidential and
National Assembly elections be
held on February 14, while the
governorship and states House of
Assembly election be held two
weeks later.
Jega, however, changed the dates
of the elections at a press
conference he addressed at the
commission’s headquarters in
Abuja on Saturday. He repeatedly
held the NSA and security chiefs
responsible for the shift.
The press conference came up after
he met with representatives of all
registered political parties.
Jega was said to have on Saturday
told the leaders of the parties, his
officers and the civil society groups
that the commission was ready for
the election as planned, but that he
was worried because of the claim
by the security agencies that they
would not be able to protect
members of the staff of the
commission and the electorates.
Sixteen political parties led by the
ruling Peoples Democratic Party
were said to have favoured the
shifting of the elections, while nine
others led by the opposition All
Progressives Congress were
against the move.
Jega also had a marathon meeting
with the Resident Electoral
Commissioners of all the 36 states
and the Federal Capital Territory,
Abuja.
At the meetings, Jega was said to
have told the attendees that he
had received a letter from service
chiefs advising that he should
postpone the general elections on
the grounds that the security
agencies were engaged in a
renewed battle against insurgency
in the North-East.
This, they claimed, would require
their full concentration.
In the letter, it was gathered that
the security agencies were
demanding a rescheduling of
elections by, at least, six weeks.
He also told the leaders of the
political parties and the Resident
Electoral Commissioners that he
received a letter on Wednesday
from the NSA, informing him that it
would be difficult for the security
agencies to protect the electorates
during the election.
The Council of State had on
Thursday rose from a seven-hour
meeting, advising the INEC to
conduct the elections.
Jega was quoted to have told the
council that the commission was
ready for the conduct of the
election but the military chiefs
were quoted to have said they
could not guarantee the security of
electoral officers, materials and the
electorate should the commission
go ahead with the earlier schedule.
Same Thursday, Jonathan’s
supporters under the aegis of the
Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly
led by Ijaw leader and ex-Minister
of Information, Chief Edwin Clark,
called for the postponement of the
polls.
The group, at a press conference,
pressed further by asking for the
sacking Chairman, INEC, Prof.
Attahiru Jega, and his arrest for
allegedly conniving with some
northerners to manipulate the
presidential election against
Jonathan.
Those in attendance included a
former Vice-President, Alex
Ekwueme, ex-Minister of
Information, Walter Ofonagoro; ex-
Governor of Anambra State, Dr.
Chukwuemeka Ezeife; Peoples
Democratic Party’s National Vice-
Chairman (South-South), Dr. Cairo
Ojugboh, and the Chairman,
Presidential Advisory Committee of
the recently held national confab,
Senator Femi Okurounmu, among
others.
Okurounmu, who read a prepared
speech jointly signed by him, Clark
and Ekwueme on behalf of the
group, said the alleged connivance
with the Northern Elders Forum was
responsible for the near 100 per
cent collection of Permanent Voter
Cards in the North.
The PDP has also repeatedly called
for a shift of the polls in the past
two weeks.
An INEC National Commissioner,
who spoke to SUNDAY PUNCH under
anonymity after the Saturday
meetings, said it was better for the
commission to shift the elections in
order to protect the integrity of
their outcome and those that
would take part in the conduct of
the elections.
He said, “You needed to be at the
meeting and see the mood of Jega.
He was not happy because his
integrity was at stake and because
these same service chiefs had
earlier given their words that they
were ready.
“Now, if he didn’t listen to their
advice, these same security
agencies could create scenes
(problems) for the elections. They
could sabotage the distribution of
sensitive materials.
“Apart from that, they could also
refuse to provide security for those
involved in the elections and could
also sabotage the movement of
sensitive materials.”
The source said almost everyone in
the country was aware that the
PDP-led Federal Government was
not ready for the elections.
“If the Federal Government that is
funding the security agencies and
appointed their heads is not ready
for elections, how do you compel
their heads who are all appointees
of the same government to say
they are ready,” another INEC
National Commissioner asked.
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
