INEC To Postpone 2015 Elections

Baring any last minute change of plans, the Independent National Electoral

Commission, INEC, will announce the postponement of the 2015 General

elections.
Sources told Pointblanknews.com that the postponement is partly as a

result of security concerns and the inability of the electoral body to

issue Personal Voters Card, PVC, to eligible voters.

INEC had said recently that it was ready for the election. The Commission

also said while over 70, 383, 427 people were registered as eligible

voters, only 45, 098, 876 had collected their PVCs. 25, 284, 551 others or

34 percent were yet to collect the PVCs for the exercise.

On security concerns, sources told Pointblanknews.com that while Security

chiefs at the Council of States meeting had assured INEC of adequate

protection, current events seems to have quashed that assurance.

A source within the Army told Pointblanknews.com that tension being

generated by the elections has heightened fears and insecurity within the

North.
The source said the unity of Nigeria is currently being threatened and

going ahead with the elections not minding the palpable fears and security

concern would spell doom.
“Much as we all desire that the elections should come and go, it is the

duty of the Army and other security agencies to ensure the unity of this

country. Security reports is not in favor of the elections at this time

and it will do us all good for us to douse the tensions first and then go

into the elections,” the Army source said.
The Army source who would not want to be named said the Military cannot

guarantee safety of INEC officials and voters especially in the North East

and North West zone of the country.
Another source told Pointblanknews.com that virtually all Igbos with PVCs

living in the North have left with their families for the South for fear

of being attacked during the elections.
“Majority of the Igbos who had registered in the North to vote have all

left, they have shut down their businesses and gone back to the South.

This is a very unhealthy situation,” a source who would not want his name

mentioned told Pointblanknews.com
National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, had called for the February

2015 election to be postponed to allow more time for the distribution of

voter cards.
Mr. Dasuki made the call in London, UK. He said the Independent National

Electoral Commission, INEC, needs more time to ensure all qualified

Nigerians receive cards for the vote.
The NSA said he told the chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega, that a

postponement within the three months allowed by the Electoral Act would be

a good idea, Reuters news agency reported.
Mr. Dasuki, who was speaking at London think-tank Chatham House, said INEC

had distributed 30 million cards in 2014, with another 30 million left.

He said while INEC had assured him the distribution would be completed for

the February polls, he believed it would be more meaningful to allow more

time for a successful election.
“It costs you nothing, it's still within the law,” Mr. Dasuki said he had

told the INEC chairman, Reuters reported.
The opposition All Progressive Congress, APC, had vehemently rejected any

call for the postponement of the 2015 general elections. But a coalition

of 16 registered political parties had threatened a boycott of the

elections if it is not postponed to allow for adequate distribution of the

PVCs.
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