The
Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has warned the presidency to resist any attempt to
remove the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),
Professor Attahiru Jega,ahead of the general election next month.
Spokesman
of the forum ,Professor Ango Abdullahi gave the warning in a press conference
in Bauchi yesterday stressing that sacking Jega at this material time will be
a recipe for disaster.
Abdullahi
who was in company of Alhaji Mohammed Bello Kirfi (Wazirin Bauchi ) said:
“With
regards to Jega’s tenure ,any attempt at this last minute by this government
or its agency to remove Jega is a clear message that this government is
determined to rig an election in which they see Jega as an impediment simply
because he thinks that the commission must follow the rules for a free and fair
and credible election. This is the message they should be ready to send to the
world.
On
the postponement of the general election, he added that for several months INEC
has been consistent and emphatic on its readiness to organise and conduct the
2015 elections in February saying the reasons given were “flimsy, clumsy and
indefensible”
On
the excuse of insecurity, he said ; the NEF viewed it as unacceptable because
only a small fraction of the security personnel in the country are directly
engaged in the battle against insurgency within the north east enclave of the
country.
We
also know that even in countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan , Sri
Lanka and more recently Afghanistan where full scale wars were still raging
when they decided that election could still be held and indeed were held”
He
further raised alarm that the ruling elite was hatching plans to scuttle the
2015 general election and derail the democratic institutions from functioning
to serve the needs of Nigeria.
Meanwhile,
Former President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo and current Chairman of Anambra
Elders Council, Dr Dozie Ikedife has said that any plan to sack Jega would
spell doom for the electoral process. He argued that the person who can
conduct the forthcoming elections should be one who knows the terrain and not a
fresh hand.
Don’t remove Jega –Northern Elders, Ikedife warn Jonathan
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Saturday, February 28, 2015
Rating:
No comments: