In spite of general clamour, the Federal
Government has asked the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) to postpone the general election by six weeks based on security
threats.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru
Jega, who admitted that his hands are tied because security for the poll
is outside his control, has invited all chairmen and secretaries of
all registered political parties and Resident Electoral Commissioners
(RECs) for a meeting today.
The meeting is expected to consider four key issues and finally decide whether to go ahead with the poll or not.
There were strong There were strong
indications last night that Jega and his team were under pressure to
extend the poll willy-nilly. The commissioners were being threatened to
either postpone the polls or be ready to quit at the expiration of their
tenure in June this year.
A dependable source said all but two commissioners are due for reappointment in June.
But INEC was undecided on whether to
stand its ground that the polls should hold as scheduled, yield to the
six-week extension or opt for a three/four-week postponement.
It was evident last night that the
President Goodluck Jonathan-led Federal Government will not provide
security for INEC and its field officers unless the poll is postponed.
Findings showed that FG’s demand for a
six-week extension was contained in the presentation made to the Council
of State by Jega on Thursday at its session at the Presidential Villa.
In the 12-page presentation,
“Preparations for the 2015 General Elections Progress Report,” made
available to our correspondent by a member of the Council, Jega
confirmed the readiness of INEC for the poll, but said he could not
ignore the alarm raised by security agencies.
Jega said: “Yesterday (Wednesday), for
example, we received a letter from the Office of the National Security
Adviser(NSA), informing us of recent developments in four (4) of the
North-East states, stating that safety and security cannot be guaranteed
during the proposed election period, adducing reasons why this is so,
and strongly advising that INEC considers rescheduling the elections by
at least six (6) weeks, within the provisions of the electoral legal
framework, and within which time span it hoped to restore sufficient
normalcy for elections to hold.
“This is a new development that INEC cannot certainly ignore or take lightly.”
Notwithstanding, Jega (as exclusively reported by The Nation on Friday, insisted that INEC was prepared for the 2015 general election more than it did in 2011.
“He added: “From the preceding review of
the state of preparedness of INEC, in respect of matters under its
control, it is clear that in spite of the discernible challenges, things
are not as bad as they have been made to appear in recent media
coverage and public discourses. We are doing our best under very
difficult circumstances.
“In determining whether or not INEC is
adequately prepared to conduct the February 2015 elections as scheduled,
we should separate what is under the control of the commission and what
is outside its control.
“For the things under the commission’s
control, our accomplishments are to such a degree that we can conduct
the election, in spite of identifiable challenges.
“Compared with the 2011 general elections, for instance, our systems are definitely more robust now.
“Among others, we have greatly improved
register of voters, having removed over four million multiple
registrants; voters will use PVCs; and accreditation using card readers
will reduce the likelihood of fraud.
“Consequently, although our state of
preparedness may not be 100 per cent or perfect, and although a bit more
time of additional preparation would enable us improve and perfect the
current level of preparedness, we believe that we’re ready for the
elections as planned.”
But Jega added a caveat that INEC had no choice but to appreciate certain developments beyond its control.
He said: “However, we also believe that
it is necessary to take into context the things outside the control of
the Commission, such as: the attitude of politicians, political parties,
candidates and voters; and significantly, security for election
personnel, materials and voters, especially in areas under insurgency,
which only the appropriate authorities can definitely speak on.
“No matter the extent of our readiness,
if there are serious security concerns, the successful conduct of free,
fair, credible and peaceful elections would be greatly jeopardised. INEC
has been working with these authorities, especially under the
Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) but our
concerns have not been assuaged.
“I am sure that this august body will
also be apprised of the security situation for the elections by the
responsible authorities.”
The INEC chairman also gave insights
into the preparation for the election, including the distribution of
permanent voter cards, procurement of ballot papers and other
non-sensitive materials.
He said: “We have had to procure
additional ballot boxes for the 2015 general elections. We have planned
to use three separate ballot boxes for February 14 elections, one each
for the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections;
and two ballot boxes on February 28, one each for the governorship and
state House of Assembly elections. Virtually all these have been
delivered to the states, who are busy distributing them to INEC LGA
offices.
“We have also, since the middle of
December 2014, finalised arrangements for the production of ballot
papers and result sheets. Indeed, deliveries of these have commenced on
schedule and the deadline for deliveries of all the sensitive materials
is February 10 (for the last batch of elections scheduled for February
28).”
He also said since 65 per cent of the PVCs had been collected, Nigerians can go to poll.
Jega said: “As at February 3, 2015, out
of the 66,323,850 Permanent Voters Cards already taken to the states for
distribution, a total of 45,098,876 or 65.81% of the total have been
collected by voters. Thus, about 34% of the PVCs are yet to be
collected.
“Our initial methodology for
distribution of PVCs, given budgeting constraints, was to distribute
PVCs at the polling unit level, where registration took place, for three
days at the end of which the remaining PVCs were taken to INEC LGA
offices from where voters, who could not collect, would be able to
collect them until January 31, 2015.
“Evidently, many voters did not, or could not, collect at the INEC LGA offices.
“There are a couple of key questions to
address: first, should INEC not conduct elections until every registered
voter has collected his/her card? It is virtually impossible for every
registered voter to collect his card (ill-health, travel, apathy,
indolence, death, etc)
“Second what rate or percentage of
collection is acceptable for an election to take place (51%, 75%; 90+
%)? In this case, whatever percentage is agreed upon, it would imply
that a date for the election could not be fixed until it is attained.
“Our assumption is that since in the
recent verifiable electoral history of our country, voter turnout in any
election has never come close to 65%, PVC collection rate of this
irreducible minimum percentage point would or should be acceptable for
the conduct of elections. More so because by the scheduled first date of
the 2015 general elections, i.e. February 14, the rate of PVC
collection would have by far exceeded this. In any case, the commission
would appreciate advice on this matter.”
On the use of Temporary Voter Cards, Jega explained why it is difficult for the nation to revert to the method.
Jega added: There have been demands that
the Commission should revert to the use of Temporary Voters Cards
(TVCs) issued during the 2011 registration and the subsequent Continuous
Voters Registration (CVR). The TVCs have no chips and therefore cannot
be verified/authenticated by the CRs.
“Also, there are more than four million
cases of multiple registration; people with TVCs, who have been removed
from the certified Register of Voters for the 2015 elections. “Once the
use of TVCs is allowed, many of these would inundate polling units on
Election Day; their names will not be in the register, and they would
start agitation that they have been ‘disenfranchised’, as was the case
during the Anambra State governorship election in November 2013.
“In any case, people who collected PVCs
no longer have TVCs because they used them to exchange for PVCs.
Additionally, a high percentage of voters had to use the attestation
forms provided to collect their PVCs due to loss of TVCs on account of
floods, insurgency, etc.
Meanwhile, Jega last night invited all chairmen and secretaries of political parties to a meeting on Saturday.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary
to INEC chairman, Mr. Kayode Idowu, said: “On Thursday, February 5,
2015, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, was invited to brief the National
Council of States (NCS) on the preparedness of INEC to conduct the 2015
general elections. He made a presentation titled “Preparations for the
2015 General Elections: Progress Report.’ The National Security Adviser
(NSA) and Armed Services Chiefs also briefed the Council on the current
security situation.
“As a follow-up to that meeting, the
Commission has scheduled a consultative meeting with chairmen and
secretaries of all registered political parties, as well as a meeting
with the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) on Saturday, February
7, 2015.
“Thereafter, the Commission will address
a press conference to brief the nation on its decision with regard to
whether or not the general elections will hold as currently scheduled. “
Although the statement was silent on the agenda, it was gathered that four issues might be considered.
• The issues are as follows: Should the poll timeline be extended by six or three/four weeks
• What rate of percentage is acceptable to conduct the election(51%,75% and 90+%
• To use PVCs or TVCs
• Security threats
A National Commissioner said: “We are
closer to postponement because Jega and his team’s hands are already
tied. We cannot go ahead with the general election without security.
“When we had full security complement in
2011, more than 11 corps members were killed. If we go ahead with the
poll, who will protect the ballot process in a nation prone to political
violence.
“We have been boxed into a corner
because all the service chiefs said they cannot provide security for the
general election based on certain indices at their disposal.”
Investigation however revealed that the
poll shift may be Jega’s undoing as some hawks have plotted a Plan B to
force him to proceed on terminal leave from March in preparation for his
exit on June 13.
A highly-placed source said: “Once INEC
yields to a six-week poll shift, Jega may be on his way out because by
March, he is expected to proceed on terminal leave preparatory to his
exit as the commission’s chairman on June 13.
“So, you can see that INEC is really in a cul-de-sac. Either way, the forces against INEC are overwhelming.”
The National Chairman of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke with
our correspondent last nigh, said: “We will attend the meeting convened
by INEC but we have our fears and suspicions because everything seems to
have been primed.”
Only on Thursday, the Southern Nigeria
Peoples Assembly, led by Chief Edwin Clark, called for the resignation
and arrest of Prof. Jega for allegedly conniving with Northern leaders
to rig Jonathan out during the February polls.
Clark, with whom were Dr. Walter
Ofonagoro, Dr.Chukwuemeka Ezeife and Dr. Femi Okurounmu, also demanded
the postponement of the elections.
The All Progressives Congress (APC)
yesterday responded to the Clark group’s position, describing it as one
of the new antics of the election postponement campaigners.
”Who does not know that wherever
President Goodluck Jonathan’s interest lies, therein you will find Chief
Edwin Clark, whether or not it is in the national interest? Who does
not know that the anarchic call by Chief Clark and his cohorts are being
made at the behest of a frenzied presidency?” the APC asked in a
statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai
Mohammed.
0 comments:
Post a Comment