Happening Now: The Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, has
concluded a briefing meeting with 25 civil
society groups in Abuja Saturday
informing them that all security agencies
in the country have indicated to him, in writing, that they are not available to
support the elections planned for February
14 and 28. Mr. Jega, who had an earlier meeting with
political parties, is rounding up another
meeting with his 36 resident electoral
commissioners now on what will amount to
an INEC position on whether to postpone
or go ahead with the elections. Insiders at the meeting said “its pretty
much a done deal at this point that the
elections will be postponed” and many of
the attendees told PREMIUM TIMES they
were shell-shocked and depressed at what
they characterize as “a clear case of political blackmail of the state against civil
society”. Jibrin Ibrahim, a leading African election
expert and senior fellow at the Centre for
Democracy and Development, CDD, in
Abuja, who was at the meeting, said Mr.
Jega told the meeting that security
operatives from all the agencies told INEC that they were commencing a six weeks
special operations against Boko Haram
insurgents in the north eastern corridors of
the country and would rather not be
distracted by the elections. Mr. Jega announced that the security
forces also said the operations are due to
commence on February 14, the date INEC
had planned for the presidential and
federal legislative elections.
This decision, by the security forces, successfully renders INEC’s hitherto
insistence to go ahead with the elections a
risky venture. To even collect ballot papers from their
storage in the Central Bank of Nigeria for
the elections will require security escort,
which apparently is now unavailable in the
light of the move by the security forces.
Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, has
concluded a briefing meeting with 25 civil
society groups in Abuja Saturday
informing them that all security agencies
in the country have indicated to him, in writing, that they are not available to
support the elections planned for February
14 and 28. Mr. Jega, who had an earlier meeting with
political parties, is rounding up another
meeting with his 36 resident electoral
commissioners now on what will amount to
an INEC position on whether to postpone
or go ahead with the elections. Insiders at the meeting said “its pretty
much a done deal at this point that the
elections will be postponed” and many of
the attendees told PREMIUM TIMES they
were shell-shocked and depressed at what
they characterize as “a clear case of political blackmail of the state against civil
society”. Jibrin Ibrahim, a leading African election
expert and senior fellow at the Centre for
Democracy and Development, CDD, in
Abuja, who was at the meeting, said Mr.
Jega told the meeting that security
operatives from all the agencies told INEC that they were commencing a six weeks
special operations against Boko Haram
insurgents in the north eastern corridors of
the country and would rather not be
distracted by the elections. Mr. Jega announced that the security
forces also said the operations are due to
commence on February 14, the date INEC
had planned for the presidential and
federal legislative elections.
This decision, by the security forces, successfully renders INEC’s hitherto
insistence to go ahead with the elections a
risky venture. To even collect ballot papers from their
storage in the Central Bank of Nigeria for
the elections will require security escort,
which apparently is now unavailable in the
light of the move by the security forces.
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