Following a grueling 8-hour meeting on Thursday, the National Council of State emphatically rejected the move by the Presidency and the PDP to postpone the 2015 general elections at all cost.
When it was time for INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, to speak, he shocked the meeting by disclosing that just before he entered the Council chambers, Jonathan’s National Security Advisor (NSA), Sambo Dasuki , had handed him a report saying that the security services could not guarantee security during the elections.
Dasuki, he stated, emphasized that 14 Local Government Areas in North East would be compromised.
President Jonathan, at meeting, also cited security concerns and lack of preparedness by INEC as reasons for coming out to seek for the postponement of the elections.
But Presidency sources at the meeting said that all the former Heads of State spoke in favor of holding the general elections on February 14th and February 28th 2015, as scheduled by INEC. Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC, also spoke calmly but firmly against the proposal.
The sources revealed that Jega responded the security questions, stating “We are better off [more secure] than in 2011” elections. He also argued that the security situation in 14 LGAs should not interfere with a country of over 700 such councils.
Professor Jega also said that all Permanent Voting Cards (PVCs) were ready for voters and that their availability should no longer be considered an issue. Our sources say that when Jega finishing giving his presentation, the majority of the room clapped in support and respect.
One source disclosed to SR that after Jega’s presentation, aides to President Jonathan sent a signal to Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark, Alex Ekwueme and Senator Okunrounmu to release a “dossier” that was in the possession of the group against Jega. That group then quickly organized a press conference in Abuja to demand Jega’s removal from INEC and get him arrested and tried for “treason”.
Contrary to Jega’s positive reception at the Council of State, the group, in a fall-back strategy the president seemed to have approved of in advance, claimed that the INEC boss had colluded with some Northern “leaders” to cheat the South of the Presidency.
Jega has insisted that with the PVC, nobody can rig the election. The votes of Nigerians must count.
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