The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Saturday night succumbed to intense pressure, as its Chairman, Attahiru Jega, announced the postponement of the scheduled elections by six weeks.
The shift, according to Jega, is the result of wide consultations, which gave serious consideration to the current security situation in parts of the country, especially in the North East.
Addressing the media after series of meetings with various groups in Abuja, the INEC Chairman said the Presidential and National Assembly elections originally scheduled for February 14 are now to hold on March 28, while the governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections earlier fixed for February 28, will now hold on April 11.
Jega announced this after a day-long meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), leaders of political parties as well as INEC’s National Commissioners and State Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) at the commission’s national headquarters.
He said the decision to shift the elections, which was based on provisions of the nation’s Electoral Act, followed advice by the National Security Adviser and security chiefs over the situation in the North Eastern states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe.
Giving further details, he said the military had informed the commission that they will be embarking on maximum onslaughts against the Boko Haram insurgents within the initial period the elections were scheduled to hold.
Jega stated that the commission could not go ahead with the elections as earlier scheduled as the lives of thousands of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members, its staff, observers and electoral materials cannot be guaranteed.
He said: “The commission cannot wave off the advice of the nation’s security chiefs.
“The commission is specifically concerned about the security of our ad hoc staff, the young men and women of the NYSC and students of tertiary institutions who constitute at least 600,000 young men and women that we are going to use for this election together with our regular staff, voters, arranging of ballot as well as election material which has been painstakingly acquired in the last one and half years.
“In a situation where security cannot be guaranteed. Under such circumstance, we believe that few election bodies in the world, if any, will contemplate proceeding with the election schedule under these circumstances.
“No matter the extent of INEC’s preparedness, if the security of personnel, voters and election observers, as well as materials cannot be guaranteed, the life of innocent men and women as well as prospect for free, fair and credible and peaceful elections will be greatly jeopardised.”
Continuing, he said: “Consequently, the commission has decided to reschedule the 2015 general elections thus: The National Elections, that is, the Presidential and National Assembly are now to hold on March 28, 2015, while the state elections, Governorship and State Assembly are to hold April 11, 2015.
“It should be noted that this new schedule falls within the constitutional framework for the conduct of the elections; notably Section 76(2), Section 116 (2), Section 132 (2) and Section 178 (2). See also Section 25 of the Electoral Act (as amended).
“For the avoidance of doubt, we would under no circumstances as a commission, approve an arrangement that is not in line with the provisions of our law.
“With this reschedule, the security services will do their best to ensure that the security environment needed for safe and peaceful conduct of the 2015 elections is rapidly put in place.
“We in INEC assure all Nigerians and the international community of our commitment to do everything within the law and to conduct free fair and credible elections.
“We call on security agencies to honour their commitment to restore efficient normalcy for election to take place within the period of extension.
“We also call on Nigerians, political parties, candidates and all other stakeholders to accept this decision in good faith and ensure the maintenance of peace.
“As for us in INEC, we would endeavour to use the period of the extension to keep on perfecting our processes for the conduct of the best election in Nigeria’s history.
“In particular, we believe that we would resolve all outstanding issues relating to collection of PVCs, which currently agitates the minds of many Nigerians.
“Finally, we need to call on all Nigerians to accept our decision which is taken in good faith and in the best interest of deepening democracy in our country.”
Meanwhile, the INEC chair has said he would not be cowed into resigning his role as head of the commission.
Answering question on the insinuation that he may be forced to resign within the waiting period, Jega said, “I will not be distracted by calls for resignation, I will only resign if there are legitimate reasons.
“I am here to serve my country to the best of my ability, and if for any reason I am found wanting, I will have no option but to resign.
“But like I said, if there are sufficient grounds for me to resign, I’ll resign but I assure that I will not resign.”
He also took time to respond to the rumour that he is in romance with the opposition, saying, “Instead of me to show bias and support one party over another in this job, I’ll rather resign.”
He, however, accused the media of not being fair on him and the commission.
He said: “We live in a country where anybody can just sit somewhere and conjure things about people, unfortunately the media just picks this and run away with it without checking out the facts.”
Details from the meeting held with the parties, as revealed to Sunday Independent, indicated that 16 political parties favoured the rescheduling of the elections, while nine were against.
Parties that reportedly voted in favour of re-scheduling the elections are: Action Alliance (AA), Action Congress of Democrats (ACD), Alliance for Democracy (AD), African Democratic Congress (ADC), Citizens Popular Party (CPP), Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Labour Party (LP) and Mega Peoples Party (MPP).
Others are New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), United Democratic Party (UDP), Peoples Popular Movement (PPM), Progressives People Alliance (PPA), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
Parties against re-scheduling of the elections are Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), All Progressives Congress (APC), United Peoples Party (UPP), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Social Democratic Party (SDP), KOWA Party, Independent Democrats (ID), Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Africans Democratic Alliance (ADA) and Accord Party (AP).
However, All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) was not represented at the meeting, while National Conscience Party (NCP) was indifferent.
Reacting to the postponement, the PDP described it as a step in the right direction.
The party’s Presidential Campaign Organisation in a statement signed by its Director of Media and Publicity, Femi Fani-Kayode, said the decision “is in the best interest of deepening democracy and in the national interest.”
Fani-Kayode said that INEC ‘’must be commended for showing the courage to shift the elections after acknowledging the fact that its state of preparedness was not 100 per cent.’’
According to him, “Since this decision has been taken in the interest of deepening democracy and in national interest, we accept it in good faith and we commend INEC’s courage and obvious commitment to ensuring a free and fair election.”
Also, former Minister of Transport, Ebenezer Babatope, hailed INEC, saying the decision was in the best interest of Nigerians.
“All those who are shouting that they don’t want elections to be postponed are those who have got skeletons in their cupboards.
“They are the ones planning evil against Nigeria. So, apparently, with the postponement, the thing has broken on their heads.
“We are going have elections, but we must have it in a manner that the electorate is not deprived of their right to choose who will lead them,” Babatope told Sunday Independent on Saturday night.
Also speaking, chairman of the Lagos State chapter of PDP, Tunji Shelle, said the postponement will give INEC enough time to put certain things in place.
According to him, going ahead with the elections now may lead to legal tussle and security breaches, which may mar the polls.
“Many people have not received their PVCs and that could result to crisis at the end of the day,” he said.
But, in a swift reaction, the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, described the postponement as not only provocative, but a major setback to the nation’s democracy.
“This is clearly a major setback for Nigerian democracy, and our party is meeting in emergency session to study its implications and will inform Nigerians of its decisions in the next few days.
“In the meantime though what has happened is highly provocative, I strongly appeal to all Nigerians to remain calm and desist from violence and any activity which will compound this unfortunate development.
“We must not fall into this obvious trap. I want to assure all Nigerians that the All Progressives Congress will not abandon its commitment to change and will sustain the struggle to establish a new Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) on Saturday accused security agencies of arm-twisting INEC to postpone the general elections.
In a statement, Agianpe Ashang, Senior Programme Officer with the Policy Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Situation Room stated: “This afternoon, Saturday, February 7, 2015 met with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and with all of its 12 National Commissioners in attendance.
“At the meeting, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, conveyed that he had received a letter from the security services advising that he postpones the general elections on the grounds that the security agencies were engaged in a renewed battle against insurgency in the North East that would require their full concentration.
“In the letter the military was demanding a rescheduling of elections by at least six weeks in the first instance”.
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