Nnamdi Felix/Abuja Less than three weeks to the rescheduled 2015 general elections slated for 28 March and 11 April for the federal and states elections respectively some desperate persons want him out of office before the election The phrase “ he came, he saw and he conquered” best describes the story of Prof Attahiru Jega upon his mounting of the saddle as the chairman of the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, in 2010. Precisely on the 8th of June that year, the Political Science Professor and one time Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, was nominated by President Goodluck Jonathan who had just assumed office following the death of late former President Umar Yar’Adua. His assumption of office as the INEC boss was in a seeming blaze of glory; an erudite scholar, highly principled, well focused and an accomplished academia. His appointment was devoid of the usual controversies usually associated with such appointments in Nigeria and he received a unanimous approval by a meeting of the National Council of State called by President Jonathan which had former heads of state Yakubu Gowon, Muhammadu Buhari, Ibrahim Babangida, Abdulsalami Abubakar, Ernest Shonekan, Olusegun Obasanjo and Shehu Shagari in attendance alongside Senate President David Mark, then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Dimaje Bankole, and most of the state Governors. A Breath Of Fresh Air Jega’s appointment was seen as a breath of fresh air coming closely on the heels of the expiration of the term of office of former controversial INEC boss, Prof Maurice Iwu, who superintended an equally controversial 2007 elections which even the winner, late former President Umaru Yar’adua, acknowledged to have been flawed. His appointment understandably raised expectations that the much desired credibility would return to the nation’s electoral system, and drew positive reactions from a broad spectrum of political leaders and organizations. [caption id="attachment_21136" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Jega: Some desperate people want him out[/caption] He elicited a high degree of excitement among the populace and Nigerians had good reasons to place their hope on the former President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, who famously engaged the military governments of the 1990s in running battles. Jega’s appeal was embraced by all sections of the polity and he was seen as the right man to deliver on the promises of electoral reform which President Jonathan had promised at that time. To many Nigerians, he was a round peg in a round hole, fitted for the tasking job of transforming Nigeria’s electoral system. The Political Science Professor did not disappoint his admirers as he went on to give a good account of himself at his first outing in the 2011 general elections when he midwifed one of the best elections in the nation’s political history as noted by civil society organizations and foreign election observer groups alike. The election was generally free and fair and even the worst critics of the Jonathan administration acknowledged that it was an important step in the electoral reform process. All these however, was in 2011, some four years ago. A lot had happened since then and the issues at stake are now, apparently more complicated than they were since that 2011 election and the man, Jega, and his balancing skills, are being tasked in many conflicting ways by many conflicting issues with his situation worsened by the very people who emerged beneficiaries of his best efforts four years ago. [caption id="attachment_21138" align="aligncenter" width="283"] •Maurice Iwu: former INEC boss[/caption] Albeit, subsequent elections conducted by the electoral body under Jega’s leadership have raised questions about the man, his capability and his conduct as the nation’s chief electoral umpire. His reputation and integrity are increasingly becoming doubtful as political actors and stakeholders attempt to outdo the others in bandying accusations and counter accusations against the Professor and his official conducts. Jega And His Travails That the Political Science Professor at the helm of affairs at the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, is swimming in troubled waters is no longer a matter to be discussed only in hush tones, it is public knowledge. Before last Wednesday’s judgment by a federal high court in Abuja which practically undid all the preparations by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, ahead of the forthcoming general election, Jega’s plate had been overflowing with issues relating to his Commission’s handling of vital election ingredients like the distribution of the permanent voter’s card, controversial creation of additional polling booths which the commission was compelled to jettison as well as the surreptitious moves by some presidency hawks to push him out of office through the policy of civil service rules on terminal leave. However, these raging issues pales in significance as doubts over the conduct of the polls on the rescheduled dates is gathering momentum following the judgment of the federal high court with less than three weeks to the elections. For one, the ballot papers which the electoral body had taken delivery of would have to be discarded for new ones which will contain the newly registered political party, Young Democratic Party, YDP, to be produced! This is a curious and an unpleasant twist coming at this time and has been generating questions as to who the real persons behind the new party are and what their motives are. In his reaction to the Court’s judgment, a federal lawmaker and chieftain of the opposition All Progressive Congress, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, was full of questions begging for answers. “ I smell a rat, this is curious coming barely three weeks to the elections. Who is behind this? What is their goal? Since when was this case filed? Will this party now participate in the coming elections? If so will all the ballot papers already printed now be destroyed and new ones printed to accommodate this new party? If not will this party not go to court after the elections to challenge the winners and ask that the elections be nullified for reasons of exclusion? Questions! Questions !! Questions!!! For Jega and his commission, reassuring Nigerians that the elections will hold on the rescheduled dates and restoring their confidence in the polls appear to be a herculean task, especially to an organisation which had variously failed to build upon previous successes in preparing for future tasks. Following the overwhelming euphoria and excitement which greeted his conduct of the 2011 election, Jega promptly set up a Registration and Election Review Committee, RERC, to carry out a systemic review of the conduct of that election, including undertaking a comprehensive review of the conduct of voter registration exercise ahead of the next general election which was four years away from then, with a view to continually improving upon INEC’s performance and consolidate on the achievements recorded that year. The Commission’s overall goals for that comprehensive evaluation of the 2011 voter registration was to understand its strengths and weaknesses in the planning, coordination, and execution of future elections and was calculated to reposition the electoral body to operate more effectively by preparing to meet some of the challenges experienced at the last election ahead of the forthcoming 2015 general election. In effect, the electoral body knew the challenges it encountered in the conduct of that successful 2011 elections and had a mindset to have a better performance at the next election which was four years away then. What followed after series of reviews and studies by the Jega -led INEC portrayed the electoral body as having missed the opportunity to learn from its own mistakes, hence the current turn of events for the man whom the whole world applauded for giving Nigerians what is arguably the most credible election in the annals of the nation’s fledging democratic experience. Despite his previous achievements and his mastery of the nation’s political landscape, being his field of study, Jega, in the context of Nigerian politics today, can be likened to a man grappling to retain his reputation and integrity in the face of unrestrained attacks from political actors and self-appointed messiahs who have taken it as a task to give him a bad name in order to hang him. The Gang Up Against Jega The first sign that a calculated and coordinated attack was headed the way of the INEC boss was at the speech delivered by Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, far away at Chatham House in London, where the first call for the postponement of the general elections earlier scheduled for February 14th and 28th of February was made. The NSA told his international audience that his call for the postponement of the scheduled polls is based on the fact that INEC has not completed the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards to Nigerians who are going to vote in the elections and that a lot of people would be disenfranchised if INEC goes ahead with the conduct of the elections. He laid all the challenges hindering the conduct of the polls on the already scheduled dates squarely at the doorstep of Jega and his INEC. He insisted that if for over a year, all INEC was able to achieve in the distribution of the PVCs as at that time, was about 50 per cent which translates to about 30 million cards, there are doubts about the possibility of distributing another 30 million cards very close to the elections. “If you had a year plus and all we have been able to do is distribute about 50 per cent of the cards, leaving about 30 million cards to be distributed, according to INEC, we have to look at the possibility of shifting this election and doing it when everybody has a card, because it doesn’t cost you anything to shift the election” Dasuki stated. The Dasuki speech at Chatham House came at a time the electoral body was still telling all who cared to listen, that it was ready for the polls which was just some days away. Riding on the waves of Dasuki’s Chatham House speech, Chief Fani-Kayode, the spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organization, berated the INEC boss for announcing the postponement of the polls only on the basis of the communication the electoral body received from the military authorities which conveyed the military’s inability to provide security cover for the polls in view of their engagement in the fight against terrorism in the northeastern part of the country. He accused Jega of holding a meeting with chieftains of the All Progressive Congress, APC, far away in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate, which was aimed at making sure that about 23 million voters who are yet to receive their Permanent Voter Cards were denied the opportunity of receiving them and added that the electoral body was scheming out voters in states and areas where supporters of the ruling party were registered to vote. He added: “We express our concerns today that Jega may have decided to aid the APC to rig the forthcoming elections through the manipulation of the production, distribution and collection of PVCs, such that emerging trends have consistently shown calculated attempts to deprive parts of the country that would traditionally vote for President Jonathan of their PVCs.” [caption id="attachment_21131" align="aligncenter" width="224"] •Dasuki: first raised the issue of election postponement[/caption] Fani Kayode also alleged that sensitive materials to be used for the election were still being printed in China and had yet to be imported to Nigeria at the time the postponement of the polls was announced by Jega. “Pieces of information at our disposal have shown that Jega has had meetings with the APC stalwarts in Dubai and other cities in the world to perfect this wanton conspiracy against 23 million eligible voters. Besides, we have information that the PVCs that Nigerians are scrambling for are not in Nigeria and will not arrive before the elections.These PVCs are still in China and Jega has strategically delayed their arrival to suit his electioneering permutations” the PDP campaign spokesman stated at a media briefing in Abuja. He however declined to give details of chieftains of the APC who met with the INEC boss or produce evidence that such meetings held. He called on Jega to show Nigerians proof that the Chinese company printing the PVCs had been paid in full by disclosing the total contract sum and the amount paid to date and equally demanded that Jega should show proof of arrival or expected date of arrival of all PVCs for the elections and to tell Nigerians how he could have distributed 23 million PVCs within five days to the election if there hadn’t been a postponement of the polls. The attacks on Jega took a different turn following a specific and direct call for his removal from office by some Southern Nigerian elders, under the aegis of Southern Nigerian Peoples Assembly, SNPA. The group which is campaigning for the re election of President Goodluck Jonathan boasts of high calibre membership comprising of men who have the President’s ears, like former Federal Commissioner for Information and Ijaw national leader, Chief Edwin Clark; former governor of Anambra state, Chukwuemeka Ezeife; a member of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Chief Femi Okunrounmu as well as a former Information Minister, Mr. Walter Ofonagoro amongst others. [caption id="attachment_21132" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Fani Kayode: Accused Jega of holding a meeting with APC stalwarts in Dubai[/caption] While lending their support to the postponement of the polls, SNPA called specifically for the sack and arrest of Prof Jega whom it accused of directing the release of the Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, to emirs, district heads and some unnamed top politicians in the North as part of the strategy to favour the APC candidate; a northerner, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. The group alleged that the directive of the INEC boss was the reason nearly a 100 per cent distribution of the PVCs had been achieved in the Northern part of the country, whereas only about 50 per cent was achieved at that time in the Southern part of Nigeria. “We authoritatively gathered with unassailable and incontrovertible evidence that the INEC Chairman, who was away in Lagos for an official engagement, through one of his National Commissioners that represented him, met with select leaders of the Northern Elders Forum, led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, on 20th August 2014, where strategies and modalities for enthroning a President of Northern extraction through vote rigging were discussed and agreed upon,” said Chief Femi Okurounmu. The group also claimed that the 20th August meeting was sequel to an earlier one by Northern Elders Forum held on 16th August, 2014 at Arewa House, Kaduna, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule, where it was resolved that all avenues must be explored towards enthroning a President of Northern extraction in the forthcoming 2015 elections and alleged that the INEC boss ordered for the release of Parmanent Voter Cards in their catchment states to Emirs, District Heads and top politicians and not necessarily to the voters themselves, a situation they contended, culminated in some voters being in possession of two to three PVCs. “This accounted for nearly 100 per cent PVC collection rate, especially in the North West states, as compared with less than 50 per cent collection rate in the Southern states. This is the reason that Lagos State, with a sophisticated population of over 5.2 million, has not distributed more than 2.5 million PVCs,” they added. They also expressed displeasure over the 150 units of laptops said to have been procured and distributed to INEC for each northern state by the Northern Elders Forum. [caption id="attachment_21140" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Okupe: Accusd Jega of lying about INEC’s preparedness[/caption] Apart from Clark, SNPA and Fani - Kayode, Dr. Doyin Okupe, and the national publicity secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh, have also accused Jega of acting the script of the APC and that he lacks the moral right to conduct the rescheduled polls. Okupe specifically accused Jega of lying about the state of the commission’s preparedness for the conduct of the election. The Terminal Leave Plot Tension was at its peak early last week across Nigeria following romours that the Presidency had concluded moves to remove Jega and replace him with a ‘more friendly and amenable’ hand to do its bidding and prevent the opposition from coasting home to victory. The plot to remove Jega from office and forestall his supervising the conduct of the forthcoming general elections started like a joke but soon assumed a life of its own as his tenure, which expires 30th June, became a subject of intense speculation. Insinuations were high that Jega might be forced to proceed on a three-month terminal leave beginning 24th March, in line with the civil service procedure. The Jega terminal leave song grew in crescendo and reverberated across different sections of the polity, driven by those who seek the return of Jonathan to the Presidential Villa after his current term expires on 29 May. The social media became awash with stories that Jega had been removed from office. Even the repeated efforts of Jega’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Kayode Idowu, to clear the air over the issue did not achieve the desired result as the story about his boss’ terminal leave matter refused to die. He stated that rather than proceed on a compulsory leave as is being rumored, Jega is focused on using the extension of the 2015 polls to perfect the commission’s strategies to conduct what would be seen as the best election in the nation’s history. He further noted that the appointment of the INEC chairman was not under the Nigerian Civil Service Rules and that even if his service would not be renewed by the Federal Government, Jega would serve out his tenure which he said, would elapse on June 30, 2015. Similarly, INEC’s Director of Voter Education and Publicity, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, denied any move for Jega to proceed on terminal leave and insisted that the INEC boss would conduct the polls rescheduled for 28 March and 11 April, 2015. He insisted that Jega is focused on the task of ensuring free, fair and credible elections, adding that the focus of the commission is to make the forthcoming elections better than that of 2011. The APC members at the National Assembly in their reaction to Jega’s terminal leave song, had vowed to resist any plot to oust the INEC boss from office and condemned the alleged moves to force him out of office ahead of the 2015 election. They stated that President Jonathan does not have the constitutional powers to effect such a change at INEC. Drawing support from constitutional provisions, the Minority Leader at the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, pointed out that Jega is not considered as a civil servant subject to Nigeria’s civil service rules, and as such, he’s not expected to proceed on terminal leave ahead of a crucial election in Nigeria. In his words: “There is a difference between a civil servant and a public servant or officer. INEC and its chairman are a creation of the constitution. Their operations and regulations are as provided under sections 156 and 160 of the constitution which specifically says only INEC has the powers to regulate its own procedures and cannot be subject to approval or control of the president or any other authority thereby establishing its independence. The question of who is a civil servant is answered in section 171 of the constitution and the chairman of INEC is not included.” Similarly, Senator George Akume, last Thursday in Abuja stated that his party, the APC, had received credible information that the head of service would direct Jega to proceed on terminal leave next week. He condemned the attempt to remove Jega from office under any guise noting that his removal would be tantamount to subversion of the system. “Only dishonest politicians fear Jega as chairman of INEC. We have received information that next week Jega will be served a letter from the head of service, directing him to proceed on terminal leave. We wonder why the government wants to tamper with the current arrangement of INEC,” said he. Gbajabiamaila argued that Jega is not a civil servant but a political appointee whose fate is governed by the constitution, and as a result not subject to civil service rules. “We condemn what the government wants to do. This is the road to Golgotha. I wonder why they want to destroy this country,” the senator stated. [caption id="attachment_21134" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Gbajabiamila: Jega is not a civil servant subject to civil service rules[/caption] It is also surprising that despite the reassurance of Jonathan in his recent media chat, denying the rumoured plans to relieve Jega of his job, the speculations over his ouster has refused to die down. The President described insinuations that he intends to sack Jega or send him on terminal leave as laughable and expressed confidence that the INEC boss and his 12 national commissioners would do a good job with the 2015 elections. The President also stated that he had not told anybody that he wants to remove Jega. Pundits posit that the ongoing controversies over Jega’s terminal leave may not be unconnected with the President’s statement during the live transmission of his media chat that he appointed Jega and the national commissioners, as well as resident electoral commissioners, in line with the constitution. He reasoned that if it becomes obvious that any of them is not good enough the person might be removed. Analysts claimed that despite the President’s denial of any plan to remove the INEC boss from office, his reference to constitutional provisions and terms of office of the electoral officials, including Jega, may have contributed to keeping the controversies alive. In Defence Of Jega As calls for Jega’s removal became strident, voices in support of the INEC boss has also increased. Among those championing his cause include political associations and notable senior advocates of Nigeria, who view the move to send the chief electoral officer on terminal leave as detrimental to the conduct of the forthcoming election which has already suffered a postponement. They insist that such a move will impact negatively on the integrity of the polls. The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, in its reaction to the moves to force Jega to proceed on terminal leave ahead of the polls had warned the Presidency to resist any attempt to remove him. Spokesman of the forum, Professor Ango Abdullahi, gave the warning at a press conference in Bauchi last week where he stressed that sacking Jega at this material time will be a recipe for disaster. As he put it: “With regards to Jega’s tenure, any attempt at this last minute by government and its agency to remove him is a clear message that they are determined to rig an election in which they see Jega as an impediment.” He stated that this is simply because Jega thinks the commission must follow the rules for a free, fair and credible election. Similarly, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, expressed outrage over the alleged plot. In a statement by its spokesperson, Mr. Osita Okechukwu, the CNPP cautioned Jonathan against sacking the INEC chairman as that would amount to illegality. “For the avoidance of doubt, Jega is neither a civil servant nor has he been indicted for any wrong doing, therefore conditionalities applicable to civil servants are not applicable to his appointment as chairman of INEC,” the group said. Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, in his reaction to the issue, noted that the INEC boss is presently on leave of absence from the Bayero University from where he was appointed as INEC chairman in 2010. “Prof. Jega is on leave of absence from the Bayero University. He won’t be due to retire until the age of 70. That is when he would go on terminal leave. He is on a five-year renewable tenure. His first term ends on 30 June 2015 and the appointment enjoys constitutional favour. It is not at the pleasure of the president to remove him or send him on a compulsory leave. The president has to seek and obtain the approval of two-thirds majority of the Senators, pursuant to Sections 157 of the Constitution. Assuming but not conceding that he has to proceed on terminal leave, that cannot happen before April 2015,” Falana stated. Another senior advocate of Nigeria, Chief Mike Ozekhome, argued that the Senate has the right to reject any attempt by the Presidency to remove Jega. He added: “The Senate also has the right to reject the removal. The Constitution involved the Senate in that kind of issue to prevent any arm of government from being too powerful. It is a constitutional stipulation that ensures balance of power. In contemplating sending him on terminal leave, the moral and ethical angle should also be considered. The elections are around the corner. So any attempt at removing him will not augur well for our democracy.” [caption id="attachment_21141" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Ozekhome: Removing Jega will not augur well for Nigeria’s democracy[/caption] Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Chief Olisa Agbakoba, also a senior advocate of Nigeria, stated that removing Jega from office at this time will not be good for the polity. He observed that unless the INEC boss chose to resign, removing him by any means will create the perception that there is something wrong. “I know that it will be a big mistake to remove Jega unless he decides to resign. If you remove him, there is a perception that there is something wrong. Jega’s tenure is almost ending, wisdom suggests to me that the best thing is to let him conduct the elections. We have to have confidence in the way the electorate will vote. The perception of removing him will not be good for our polity”. Speaking in similar vein, Chief Orji Nwafor-Orizu, an Abuja based lawyer, asserted that Jega cannot be disciplined except under extant laws and noted that the INEC chairman is not a civil servant, and that the Constitution under section 158 is specific that INEC should not be subject to the direction of any other authority or person. [caption id="attachment_21128" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Agbakoba: Removing Jega will be a big mistake[/caption] On his part, a Constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay stated that any attempt to remove Jega from office through what he called “political retirement” would set the country on fire. Even President Jonathan’s supporter, and founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr Fredrick Faseun, had risen in support of Jega. The OPC founder threw his weight behind Jega by stating that the INEC boss should be allowed to conduct the general elections. A Reprieve For Jega In what may count as the game changer in the ongoing onslaught against the INEC boss so far, the House of Representatives last Tuesday adopted a resolution warning the federal government against tampering with existing arrangements for the forthcoming general elections, particularly the removal of Jega from office under any guise. The lawmakers noted that changing the election plans either by further extending the dates or removing Jega from office would only lead to a magnitude of violence, worse than what was witnessed after the 2011 polls. They drew the attention of Nigerian political class and government at all levels as well as security agencies to warnings of unavoidable violence already issued by eminent Nigerians and groups, both on the international and local scenes. The resolution which followed a motion by the Chairman of the Committee on Justice, Hon. Ali Ahmad of the All Progressive Congress from Kwara State, was nearly scuttled by the Deputy Minority Leader of the House, Mr Leo Ogor, of the Peoples Democratic Party, who had opposed the motion on the ground that it was totally speculative as the proponent of the motion was not precise about what was happening or who was planning Jega’s removal. Ogor was however overruled by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, before putting the motion up for vote. [caption id="attachment_21135" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Itse Sagay: Asking Jega to leave can set the country on fire[/caption] The lawmakers made it clear that removing Jega would be unconstitutional except if the approval of two-thirds majority of the Senate is secured as prescribed in section 157(1) of Nigeria’s Constitution. “Such removal can only be achieved when two things happen, viz, (a) his inability to discharge the functions of the office, or (b) for misconduct, as determined by two-thirds of the Senate,” their resolution stated. Savouring the success achieved by the House by its adoption of the resolution which had thrown the spanners in the works for Presidential hawks gunning at Jega’s jugular, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal further raised an alarm that the dark days of military coups might return if the country continued to progress in error. At a meeting with a coalition of civil society groups, Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, the Speaker observed that the signs of a possible return to the dark days in Nigeria were everywhere for all to see. He noted that apart from the moves to use Civil Service rules to force Jega out of office, the suggestion of an interim government by some groups was treasonable. “Any form of government outside our constitution is a coup. Why are the security agencies not charging such persons with treasonable felony? Some individuals are bent on ensuring that the elections do not hold or in the alternative, create scenarios that will make the conduct of the polls impossible for INEC,” the Speaker added. Jega’s Errors Not a few Nigerians believe that if the elections had held on the earlier date of 14th February, many would have been disenfranchised, due to non issuance of permanent voter cards, PVCs. All the euphoria and excitement which greeted INEC’s conduct of the 2011 general election had declined since that election, following its serial bungling of vital ingredients, including the provision of permanent voter cards, PVCs, as well as a recent attempt to create additional polling units ahead of the forthcoming elections. These generated truckloads of controversies and legal actions, forcing the electoral body to postpone the exercise. Last September, the electoral body embarked on the final phase of the Continued Voters Registration, CVR, exercise for an election that was merely five months away from the earlier scheduled 14 February 2015 date. Given the nature and terrain of the nation, Jega’s team had unwittingly set up themselves for unavoidable failure in 2015 by completing the exercise so late in the day for an election which time was known soon after that of 2011. [caption id="attachment_21133" align="aligncenter" width="281"] •Faseun: Jega should be allowed to conduct the elections[/caption] The exercise generated ripples across the nation as both the first and the second phases of the exercise raised critical issues that were never resolved ahead of the 2015 polls. Phase one of the CVR exercise was conducted in 10 states, including Taraba, Gombe, Zamfara, Kebbi, Benue, Kogi, Abia, Enugu, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, between 28 May and 1 June at designated CVR centres in each registration area (Ward) of every local government area. The second phase held across 12 states between 20 and 25 August 25 in Yobe, Bauchi, Jigawa, Sokoto, FCT, Kwara, Anambra, Ebonyi, Ondo, Oyo, Delta and Cross River states. The last phase held in September in the remaining states of the federation: Adamawa, Borno, Kaduna, Katsina, Kano, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Imo, Lagos, Ogun, Edo and Rivers. The voters registration exercise preceded the issuance of PVCs which will be used for the 2015 general elections. Political parties and civil society groups faulted INEC’s shoddy handling of the exercise and berated the organisation for not matching the huge expectations it created ahead of the 2015 polls. Calls were made for the extension of the exercise with concerns expressed on the late scheduling of the exercise, poor enlightenment, logistics problems, vis-a-vis malfunctioning direct data capture machines, the late arrival of INEC staff and materials to designated points. The executive director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafasanji also criticised INEC: “From the expressions by Nigerians and from those I interacted with, a lot of them are not satisfied with what INEC has done”, he’d noted at that time. Furthermore, Mr. Rafsanjani had noted thus; “The thinking now is, if that is what they will use in 2015, it will not be good at all. It is important that the electoral body listens. Already, we have a situation where many displaced persons will be disenfranchised because of the insurgency problem and other problems. And so millions will likely not vote”. While the controversies generated by the continuous voter registration exercise lingered, the INEC boss stirred the hornet’s nest with the announcement of an additional 30,000 polling units across the nation. The exercise meant to limit the number of voters at a polling unit to 500 generated controversies with allegations that a section of the country had been unduly favoured. Some interest groups alleged that the North has much more of the additional polling units than the South and soon, many suits were filed before some federal and state high courts, challenging INEC with only the 2015 election just months away. Following massive complaints by Nigerians over their inability to collect their voter cards and their possible disenfranchisement ahead of the 2015 general election, Dasuki called for the postponement of the scheduled elections. However, at his announcement of the extension of the election dates, Jega vehemently insisted that the electoral body was ready for the election but that it had to acquiesce to a shift in polls date due to the insecurity in the land and on the strength of a letter by the Nigerian security agencies which indicated their inability to provide security to the electoral body for the polls. That was in view of their engagement in the fight against terrorism in the northeastern part of the country. Events have indeed shown that the electoral body was not ready for the polls as at the time it told Nigerians it was. Many Nigerians were only able to collect their PVCs weeks after the polls date shift announcement and the subsequent extension of the PVC issuance exercise. Jega’s INEC had also received knocks from critical stakeholders, including the nation’s judiciary, which came down on it for refusing to obey court orders with regards to the withdrawal of certificates of registration from some political parties which the electoral umpire de-registered recently. Only last Wednesday, a federal high court in Abuja berated the electoral body for not discharging its constitutional obligation of informing an applicant political party, Young Democratic Party, why it had not been registered. The court noted further that it took INEC until 13 August 2014, more than 120 days, to react to series of correspondence from the party which sought to know why it had not been registered. Will The Elections Hold? Signs of a possible further postponement or shelving of the rescheduled polls are becoming more glaring in the wake of recent developments in the polity. While briefing the Senate late month, the INEC boss told the lawmakers that he could not guarantee if elections would hold as rescheduled or not. He explained that the electoral body would only give assurance on the aspects of the election within its control. Musings of an interim national government contraption soon emerged in the public domain with both the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister if Justice, Bello Adoke, the senate President, former Head of state, Abdulsalami Abubakar and President Jonathan coming down hard on those who are toying with thoughts of such contraption for Nigeria. According to the justice minister, the Nigerian constitution did not envisage any interim national government for Nigeria. ‘’For avoidance of doubt, it is pertinent to state that the framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, did not envisage the constitution of interim national government to superintend over the affairs of government. It is therefore not surprising to observe that no provision for interim national government was made in the constitution,’’ said the minister in the wake of the disturbing circulation of the interim national government reports. [caption id="attachment_21137" align="aligncenter" width="300"] •Jonathan: said he is not ready to remove Jega[/caption] Similarly, former Head of state and Chairman of the National Peace Committee for 2015 General Elections, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd) also expressed confidence in the assurance given by the federal government on the sanctity of the May 29 handing over date, and dismissed the prospect of an interim national government. He reiterated the belief that the elections would hold on March 28 and April 11, as rescheduled, and urged the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, respectively, as well as other leaders of both parties to abide by the principles of the Abuja Accord on prevention of violence and acceptance of election results. Speaking at the opening mass for the plenary assembly of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral in Abuja recently, Jonathan noted that the insinuations about interim government amounts to a treasonable offence. The President noted that the only ING that could be put in place was that of the military which, according to him, will not be accepted by Nigerians and the international community. “The Economic Community of West African States, the African Union and the United Nations won’t accept it. We will not allow Nigeria to be a pariah state again,” the President stated. He reassured all stakeholders in the political process that the general elections would hold on the rescheduled dates of 28 March and 11 April and that the winners will be inaugurated on 29 May. The President also restated his belief that the recent polls delay was a blessing in disguise and noted that there would have been a monumental loss during the attack by Boko Haram insurgents in Gombe state on 14 February when the Presidential election would have taken place. Despite all the assurances against the interim national government issue, the rumour mills have continued to run unabatedly. The excuse that the present times are not good to hold elections in the country, especially because of what security authorities had already termed “a state of war with Boko Haram” appears to be the fuel powering the rumours. The insinuations also gained momentum following the allegation by Presidential spokesman, Dr. Ruben Abati, in the wake of heavy criticisms against the President by former President Olusegun Obasanjo whom Abati claimed wanted to be head of the interim national government. Tambuwal, last week in Abuja, argued: “All this talk about interim government, where? We do not have it in the Constitution. Is anybody trying to come and remove us from here first? Those talking about interim government, are they planning a coup? We should ask them.” The Speaker explained that anyone planning an interim government would have to halt the current arrangement before an interim government could be established. The ongoing legal actions against the use of the electronic card reader is also contributing to the chaotic scenario playing out around the effective and successful conduct of the election. Representatives of 15 registered political parties had threatened to boycott the elections and take legal action if INEC insist on using the electronic card readers during the elections. According to the group, the use of the electronic card readers is a ploy to disenfranchise citizens in the coming elections. They maintained that the cards had not been tested and as such could not be trusted. Following that threat, a non governmental organization, Society for Advancement and Protection of Public Rights, SAPPR, dragged the electoral body before a federal high court in Abuja seeking to restrain INEC from using the electronic card readers in the election and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, wasted no time in lending it support to the quest to stop INEC from using these electronic card readers. At a recent media parley in Abuja, spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, indicated that his party would resist moves to go ahead with the use of card readers during the elections. “Our position remains that the machine has not been tested in any election and there are basis for joining concerns over the use of the card readers for the first time in a crucial election of this magnitude. We are aware of plots by the APC to use the card readers to frustrate accreditation in some parts of the country while not enforcing strict use of the machine in other parts,” he alleged. These mounting and wanton opposition to the use of the card is in the face of explanations by the electoral body that it would conduct a field testing of the equipment before the polls. The Commission’s National Director in charge of Information and Voter Education, Dr Chris Iyimoga, had said INEC would conduct a field testing of the card readers before deploying them for the accreditation of voters in the forthcoming general elections to reduce electoral fraud. He added that it had satisfactorily tested the card readers before the re-scheduling of the elections, and had scheduled 7 March to rigorously test the card readers technology in two states of each geo-political zone, to ensure its mastery before the elections. Summing up his party’s misgivings about the eventual conduct of the polls, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, the APC’s national chairman noted that even though he was not comfortable with Jega’s statement before the Senate that he could not guarantee if elections would hold as rescheduled or not, he understood the INEC chief was being realistic. He added that external factors outside INEC’s control, like the massive attack on the use of PVCs and massive court actions that have been initiated can contribute greatly to the scuttling of the elections.