Kudos, knocks as INEC fixes March 28, April 11 for general elections

There were protests in some major cities in the country on Saturday as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) rescheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections to March 28, 2015.
The governorship and House of Assembly elections will hold on April 11, 2015.
Some activists protested in Jos, Abuja, Ibadan, Lagos, Ilorin, Port Harcourt, Sokoto, Enugu and Abakaliki, insisting that the postponement was a ploy to truncate democracy.
Citing advice from security agencies, INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced the new dates in a late night news conference in Abuja.
Jega said that presidential and National Assembly elections earlier slated for February 14 would now hold on March 28.
Similarly, he said that the governorship and House of Assembly polls previously scheduled for February 28 had been shifted to April 11.
He gave advice from security chiefs as reason for the postponement of the elections.
He said that the armed forces said that they were engaged in a major military operation in the troubled North-East of the country and could, therefore, not assist in the elections if they were conducted on the original dates.
He also said that the decision to shift the dates of the polls was taken after due consultation with all stakeholders in the process.
Jega said that INEC, not being a security agency, could not guarantee protection for personnel and materials, as well as voters during elections, and could not wave off the advice by the nation’s security chiefs.
“No matter the extent of INEC’s preparedness, if the security of personnel, voters, election observers and election materials cannot be guaranteed, the prospects of free, fair credible and peaceful elections will be greatly jeopardised.
“Consequently, the commission has decided to reschedule the 2015 general elections thus: the national election, that is presidential and National Assembly are now to hold on March 28.
“The state election, that is governorship and state assembly will hold on April 11, 2015,’’ he said.
Jega explained that the new dates of the elections still fell within the constitutional framework for the conduct of the elections.
He said that with the rescheduling of the elections, the security services will do their best to ensure that the security environment needed for safe and peaceful conduct of the elections was rapidly put in place.
He added that he did not envisage additional cost to the conduct of the elections due to the rescheduling of the dates.
“We in INEC reassure all Nigerians, and indeed, the international community, of our commitment to do everything within the law and to conduct free, fair and credible elections.
“We call on the security agencies to honour their commitment to instal sufficient normalcy for elections to take place within the period of extension.
The electoral body’s chairman also called on Nigerians, including political parties, candidates and all other stakeholders, to accept the postponement decision in good faith and ensure the maintenance of peace.
He denied having meeting with any individual or group for any candidate to emerge in an election, saying that he would rather resign than do such thing.
The Coalition of Concerned Nigerians, a social-human rights group based in Jos, staged protest at INEC headquarters, Abuja demanding that the elections be held as scheduled on February 14 and 28.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions condemning plan to shift the polls.
Some of the inscriptions read: `No to election postponement,’ `INEC Commissioners: Nigerians are watching,’ `We have confidence on Jega to give us elections on February 14.’
A contingent of armed policemen formed a barricade round the protesters to prevent them from gaining entrance into INEC headquarter building.
Leader of the group, Mr Solomon Dalung, told newsmen that the elections should not be postponed.
“ Why should INEC call for a meeting on Saturday? How long will our children’s schooling be postponed because of elections?’’ he asked.
Dalung said that postponing the polls would not be to the detriment of top politicians “whose children school outside the country.”
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) said it concurred with the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to shift the scheduled February general elections since “it is in the best interest of deepening democracy and in the national interest”.
Director of Media and Publicity of the PDPPCO, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, stated, in a swift response to the poll shift announcement, 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 Fani-Kayode, “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.
“With this decision, INEC has allayed the fears of many of our citizens that they may not have had the opportunity to vote for the candidates and parties of their choice on Election Day.
“INEC has, by the decision, ensured that no one will be disenfranchised and has helped to guarantee the safety and security of every single one of our citizens during the course of the elections.
“We are constrained to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly condemn the opposition APC for its paranoid delusions and its far-fetched and childish conspiracy theories when it comes to the issue of poll shift.
“By insisting that the elections should be conducted on February 14, the opposition was not only dangerously flirting with chaos but was also putting our country firmly on the path of confrontation, division, injustice, disaster and destruction.
“This is especially so, given the fact that no less than 34 percent of eligible voters have not been able to access their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) up till today- just seven days before the original date of the election. A situation where such a large percentage of our people would have been disenfranchised is unacceptable and the fact that the APC was insensitive to that fact speaks volumes.
“We are aware that INEC is having numerous logistical problems and numerous internal challenges and we believe that the poll shift will afford them the badly-needed time to tackle and resolve those problems and challenges before we arrive at the new dates that have been fixed for the elections.
“We believe that INEC must have drawn a useful guide from available security reports from the North-eastern zone where, despite the very serious challenges that our people are facing there from Boko Haram, we believe that elections must hold. We must insist on this in order to ensure that no parts of the country lose their right to freely, safely and peacefully participate in the coming elections and to vote for the candidates of their choice.
“It is against the backdrop of these developments that we commend INEC for finding the courage to do the right thing. In the same breath, we condemn the opposition APC leaders and members who are set to unleash confusion, mendacity and despondency everywhere and who are blaming everyone except themselves for the situation in which we have found ourselves.
“It is a glaring testimony to their irresponsible and reckless disposition that they continue to insist on having an election on a date that the institution that is constitutionally charged to conduct that election has said that it would be impossible to go ahead under the present circumstances.
“The shift of date is a welcome development. It is solely the decision of INEC. The decision is not ours but we commend them (INEC) for showing courage by owning up to the fact that they are not ready to go ahead on February 14th. The shift will help INEC to organise themselves properly, to put their house in order and to put in place all the necessary arrangements for the polls. The shift will also enable the nation’s security agencies to do what they have to in order to secure the north-eastern zone and ensure that elections can hold there.
“In conclusion, we wish to encourage our supporters and we urge them to remain calm and to be patient. Our party is strong; our candidate is confident; our cause is just; our God is mighty and our victory is assured. No matter what happens and no matter how long it takes, we shall prevail. God bless Nigeria.”
Another statement by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, reads: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) has just heard over the news media that The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decided to postpone the elections by six weeks on the strength of a letter by the security chiefs that they cannot provide security for the elections nationwide because of the commitment of its resources to fight insurgency in the north eastern part of the country.
“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. Change we must. They can only delay it; No one can stop it.
“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”.