Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has finally announced its decision to “adjust” the country’s election timetable for the 2015 general elections.
Chairman of the Commission Attahiru Jega, saturday night told journalist in Abuja, the decision to postpone the elections was based on security concerns.
He said the presidential and national assembly elections will now hold on March 28, while the governorship and house of assembly elections will hold on April 11.
Jega said security agencies had informed INEC of embarking a six-week special operation against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents in the north eastern region of the country and would prefer not to be distracted by the elections.
According to INEC Chairman. the military informed him that the operations are due to commence on February 14, the same date INEC intends holding the presidential and national assembly elections.
Jega said the absence of security agencies to provide cover for the conduct of the election therefore rendered the process a risky one.
Contrary to the rumours going rounds, Jega said INEC was not forced by anyone to shift the elections – INEC will not risk the lives of about 700,000 workers who would be involve in conducting the elections.
Earlier on Thursday, at the National Council of State, Jega informed the gathering of the commissions readiness to conduct the elections, but the Nigerian military chiefs said the security agencies were overstretched by the scaling-up of the war against Islamists Boko Haram group.
Apart from the security issues, there had also been genuine concerns on over 30 million voters who were yet to collect their permanent voter cards, going ahead to conduct the elections would mean disenfranchising them from casting votes in the general elections.
