Council of State: Elections must hold

A major political crisis was averted on Thursday as the National Council of State (NCS) insisted that the February 14 and 28 elections must hold.
It also directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that it does not do anything to stop the conduct of the election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, had told the meeting, chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House, Abuja that the commission was ready for the elections.
All former presidents and heads of state except Chief Olusegun Obasanjo were in attendance.
Those at the meeting were Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Maj-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Others were Senate President David Mark, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal and former Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Musdafa Belgore.
The governors of Anambra, Kogi, Katsina, Kano, Osun, Imo, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Adamawa, Niger, Lagos, Bayelsa, Rivers, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kwara, Ogun, Ondo, Plateau, Cross River, Enugu and Delta also attended.
The governors of Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Jigawa, Edo, Ekiti, Gombe and the acting governor of Taraba also attended, while the governors of Abia, Oyo and Borno were represented by their deputies.
Also in the meeting were National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan, Col. Sambo Dasuki.
Others are Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Muhammed and the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN).
Governors Olusegun Mimiko (Ondo) and Rochas Okorocha (Imo), confirmed to State House correspondents that INEC assured the council of its readiness to conduct the elections and that the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards was going well.
Okorocha said that the nation’s security chiefs also said that they were ready for the elections but raised concern about the possibility of elections holding in areas under the control of Boko Haram insurgents.