Civil Society Demands Security Chiefs' Resignation Over Pressure On INEC To Postpone Polls

BEVERLY HILLS, February 07, (THEWILL) – Nigeria's civil society groups have called for the resignation of heads of Nigeria's military as well as police following their advise to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, to postpone the general elections slated for February 14 and February 28, 2015, because security agencies are engaged in the renewed battle against the Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria.

The civil society groups under the aegis of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) in a statement Saturday signed by Agianpe Ashang, a‎ Senior Programme Officer, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, said it met on Saturday afternoon with the INEC Chairman and all INEC's 12 Commissioners, where Jega “conveyed that he had received a letter from the security services advising that he postpones the general elections on the grounds that the security agencies were engaged in a renewed battle against insurgency in the North-East that would require their full concentration. In the letter the Military was demanding a rescheduling of elections by at least 6wks in the first instance.”

The Situation Room is made up of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria and includes such groups as Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Enough is Enough Nigeria, Wangonet, Partners for Electoral Reform and Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth & Advancement (YIAGA). Others are Development Dynamics, Human Rights Monitor, Election Monitor, Reclaim Naija, Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, CITAD, CISLAC and several other CSOs numbering more than sixty.

The Situation room said it conveyed to INEC its disappointment with the letter from the security agencies pointing out that this amounted to the Military's abdication of its constitutional duties to provide security to citizens and to the Commission to enable it conduct elections and appeared contrived to truncate the democratic process in Nigeria.

The statement further said, “Situation Room is further worried that the Military's position also aims to blackmail and arm-twist the Election Management Body away from its constitutional guaranteed function of conducting elections. Situation Room also condemns this advisory by security agents that they cannot guarantee the security of citizens, election officials and materials during the election.

The Situation Room calls for the resignation of military chiefs and security heads including the Police on account of their inability to exercise their constitutional responsibility to secure lives and property at all times including during the elections.

Situation Room also calls on Nigerians to be vigilant and be ready to protect this hard won democracy!”