According to SaharaReporters, President Goodluck Jonathan, is actively working on moves to have the general elections postponed. On Thursday, January 22, the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, had called for postponement of the elections, while speaking at a Chattam House lecture in London, saying that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was yet to distribute Permanent Voters Cards (PVC), to all eligible voters. It is believed that the motive behind the alleged postponement of the election is as a result of the soaring popularity of the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Muhammadu Buhari and the widespread clamour for him to become the next president of Nigeria. President Jonathan has allegedly spent millions to mobilize national figures to advocate for the postponement of the elections. The online news platform stated thus: “President Jonathan wants the elections to be postponed for at least six months, a period that will enable him to appoint a new INEC chairman of his liking to oversee the elections. Professor Attahiru Jega’s tenure expires in July 2015.” “With Jega out of the way, Jonathan would appoint another INEC chairman who would further postponement of the election.” Furthermore, the report alleged that the president has also entertained the possibility of an interim government. “President Jonathan is seriously considering an “Interim Government of National Unity” that would elongate his tenure till 2017. That would mean he spends eight years in power as President, the equivalent of two terms,” Sahara Reporters added. During a BBC World Service radio interview broadcast on Friday, January 23, Dasuki, yet again repeated his call for postponement. He said: “I don’t see how, logically, you can distribute 30 million voters cards in the next two weeks. That’s asking for too much… There’s no rush in doing it in February if the law allows you to do it in April.” “The provision (for holding a general election) is for not more than 90 days and not less than 30 days before the end of the administration. We still have some time to play with. I think it’s better safe than sorry.” In spite of the election postponement claims, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, says there was no plan on ground to have the elections postponed. Jega stated that more than 50 million of the 68 million cards had been made available and 4.1 million were received on Thursday. He said in Abuja on Friday: “I have said everything we are doing, including the challenges of the distribution of Permanent Voters Card, we believe is something we can address long before February 14. We issued (the) election timetable for February 14 almost a year ago and we have been very busy working to implement that timetable to the letter.”
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 07:36:15 +0000
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