The Nation Newspaper

Tag: POSTPONEMENT

  • ARG: Postponement is untenable

    Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has condemned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for postponing the February 14 and 28 elections. The group also said the reason given by the electoral body is untenable.

    The ARG said the postponement did not come as a surprise because events preceding the announcement lent credence to the fact that INEC was coerced into adopting the position.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, the group maintained that Nigeria’s defence institutions have not convinced Nigerians that it can curb the Boko Haram Insurgency in six weeks. “ Nigeria’s defence and security institutions have not convinced Nigerians that they have the capacity to  curb the Boko Haram insurgency and it remains to be seen that the now possess new tactics and intelligence on how to curb it. Therefore, it is difficult to see how a six-year menace will disappear in six weeks.”

    Famoriyo also said it was clear INEC was working under an “ executive coercion” whose design and intent can only be to subjugate Nigeria’s premier democratic institution. “ Until the security chiefs are able to advance believable reasons and demonstrate renewed commitment to their constitutional duty, Nigerians will remain suspicious of a premeditated plan to subvert democratic process,” he said.

    The group decried  a situation where Nigerians are been made to sacrifice without commensurate sacrifice from the leadership cadre. “ If Nigerians are being asked to be patriotic enough to suffer the attendant cost of poll shift in order to fight insurgency, then is it not normal for an administration that has shown unprecedented lethargy in prosecuting was against insurgency to be equally patriotic enough to admit its failure and step aside?

    “To continue on the path of impunity and blatant abuse of the democratic right of Nigerians as the handlers of Nigeria state are doing is the foundation for injustice. Yoruba people loathe such insensitivity and will always reject such leadership.”

  • ‘Our Girls; Election postponement; Fear of Buhari; Political posters vs classroom edu-posters

    Our Girls and Our People’ are still missing since April 15. Hope unfortunately dwindles.

    Today I was expecting to further encouraging you to gear up to get your PVC and get you and your friends and family out to vote on the 14th February for the candidate of your choice. Nigeria’s warped political uncertainties and manipulations have overtaken even such an expensive day as election day. Elections are very, very expensive social implications for the citizens as well as government. Tens of thousands have changed wedding and other community function days. Office, movement, and market shutdowns cancel incomes for that day. Now the shift to March 28 will paralyse millions of pre-planned activities for that day.

    Unfortunately, the 2015 elections will not be the most important thing that will happen if it happens. Politics is not everything though the way politicians operate ‘kill or be killed’ policies on the innocent citizens is frightening. Nigeria is also suffering from negative political scheming by those seeking to continue their grip on power. What is even more important is that many families will be bereaved and members will fall ill, some will die or be diagnosed with deadly disease daily. Suddenly for them politics becomes meaningless. And though the elections, newly ‘postponed’ to March 28th, in the first instance, will ruin or rejuvenate our lives and may still result in more deaths and injuries, a major emotion, love, is again in the air.

    Newsflash: Hotels and Restaurants and bars and clubs and event places can quickly restore St Valentine’s Day to a full day and not just a fear-filled post-election evening! As a result of St Valentine’s Day love, February 14th, hundreds of thousands of unions and resultant marriages will hopefully last longer than the unholy political unions seen today.

    Where are the Nigerians dedicated to give service to Nigeria as opposed to those Nigerians, especially in power, scheming to denigrate Nigerians to a nonsense state? The whole world is watching the buffoonery of ‘the largest economy in Africa’ as it is makes a fool of political reasons masquerading as Boko Haram insurgency in four North Eastern states. We now effectively announce that we will crush Boko Haram during the next six weeks in a military pincer movement between Nigerian forces and AU Chad and Cameroon forces. Armed with this intelligence will Boko Haram stand and be destroyed or, more likely, melt away to reappear after the ‘assault’.

    There are so many rumours and much innuendo attached to the shocking, but not entirely unexpected, postponement of the elections. INEC’s obvious incompetence, though not admitted to by INEC, in distribution of PVCs can be addressed by immediately devolving the distribution to the original registration centres for 1-2 weeks. INEC must employ more hands or encourage local volunteers to assist employed staff to reduce waiting times. Nigerians must remember that many of the remaining cards belong to the dead since 2011, deceivers who illegally registered from Chad and Niger and the downright lazy who will not collect their cards out of sheer laziness or, worse still, unless they are offered ‘incentives’ to sell them. When will we learn that to be ‘fed’ money or rice to ‘vote wrong’ against our conscience soon results in our becoming ‘fed up’ with bad governance? Nigerians must decide now that rather than ‘vote wrong’ it is far better to ‘starve’ during the next 6 weeks and ‘vote right’ for our future, than to take petty bribes and rice to vote, only to be side-lined with poor governance and bad infrastructure for the next four years.

    The rumours churn about the unquenchable ‘Fear of Buhari’ being the beginning of malevolent scheming among military and civilian cohorts with less than clean hands who presided over the corruption and stagnation of Nigeria these past 40 years. Horror of horrors there is an insulting but unfounded rumour of a plan to install ‘in the interim’ the last of the formerly secret military triumvirate which many believe has helped to ruin Nigeria and keep it negative over-centralised and against true Federalism. Evil is alive. Remember the successful but Machiavellian plans of the Association to Bastardise [Better] Nigeria? It seems to have mutated into a worse group, promoting evil to disenfranchise Nigerians in 2015. By the way the triumvirate is made of familiar but not particularly respected names Babangida-Abacha-Gusau alias BAG. Only Gusau has never been president even for a ‘interim day’. What is his ambition? Never has one man Buhari, of fiscal integrity, caused such terror.

    Nigeria is currently immorally plastered with political face posters at 1000+/ candidate totalling 10-20million posters at N1-200/poster and multimillion naira electronic boards nationwide at a total cost of N3-5 billion confirming that politicians know that ‘A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words’ in elections. Why do politicians not transfer this knowledge to the children in Nigeria’s 1,500.000 classrooms? Nigeria must introduce ‘A10-20 Posters Per Classroom Policy’ to create jobs, and provide friendly classrooms and get equity between political and educational posters. Governments should buy school posters especially as their posters deface school walls.

    The NNPC forensic audit is a triumph for the Nigerian people and should be adopted for NPA, FAAN, Customs and all slippery organisations handling our money.

    World Cancer Day: Medknow reminds us that prevention by diet, environmental and lifestyle changes, early detection, treatment and care reduces the cancer burden.

    Collect your PVC and Happy Valentine’s Day.

  • What next after polls postponement?

    What next after polls postponement?

    Against people’s expectation, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has succumbed to the pressure to shift the general elections till next month, fueling suspicions that those behind the shift have a hidden agenda. EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the implications of the postponement for the electoral process.

    When the poll shift proponents kicked off the strange campaign in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), stakeholders dismissed their activities with a wave of the hand. Both parties-the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC)-intensified their rallies across the six geo-political zones. But, when the PDP discovered to its chagrin that the outcome of the elections may not favour President Goodluck Jonathan, the ruling party threw its weight behind the postponement crusade, to the consternation of the APC candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, who was believed to have an edge over the president, ahead of the exercise.

    With the postponement, the parties were back to square one. The two main parties have now returned to the drawing board. PDP leaders celebrated the shift in Abuja with the President and the National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Muazu. A source said that the chieftains believe that the six week-gap would enable them to re-strategise and repackage the President for another round of rallies.

    To the APC, the postponement was in bad faith. The shift has made an adjustment to the campaign time-table more compelling. A member of the Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary said that more campaign materials would be produced and rallies may be repeated in sone zones. But, APC leaders also perceived the postponement as a blessing in disguise. The circumstances surrounding the postponement has become a campaign issue. “The President said that he cannot guarantee security. Why is he looking for a second term, if he cannot discharge his constitutional duties of protecting life and property? Nigerians will not vote for a leader who cannot protect them,” said Lagos APC Publicity Secretary Comrade Joe Igbokwe.

    However, a PDP chieftain, Chief Ishola Filani, who had defended the agitation for postponement, shortly before the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, announced the shift, said the poll will fail because the commission was not ready for the exercise. “Thirty five percent distribution of PVCs is outstanding. If the election is conducted, many people will be disenfranchised. Is it good to exclude Nigerians from voting?” he queried.

    But, subsequent events after the announcement of new election dates have lent credence to the feeling that the Federal Government requested for the shift to achive an undisclosed motive. Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who gave an insight into what transpired at the Council of State meeting, said the government forced the postponement down the throat of the electoral agency. Berating the PDP for the embarrassing decision, the governor, who addressed a rally in Alimoso, said President Godluck Jonathan acted against the public opinion.

    Fashola, who spoke in Yoruba, said: “I was at the meeting we told the President that INEC should conduct the election and he disagreed. Former Heads of State said the poll should be held on February 14 and 28. He said no. Former Chief Justices of the Federation said the poll should hold. He still objected. He is afraid of Buhari. That is why they don’t want election.”

    The postponement has been a major topic for discussion among Nigerians. A source said that the shift may not be the end of the game. Conscious of an imminent power shift, PDP chieftains, added the source, may have seen the futility of insisting on Dr. Jonathan’s candidature for the critical exercise. “Unless there is a concerted effort to resist further postponement after the first postponement, some circumstances may be created that may make the polls unfeasible. The interim option is still there. The President may be persuaded to jettison his second term so that the PDP can field a candidate from the North to face Buhari. What the INEC will be made to do is to hold other layers of elections and postpone the presidential election for the second time. In Nigeria, nothing is impossible,” added the source.

    Reacting to the postponement, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora described it as a coup against the people. He said the argument that the Northeast is unsafe is not tenable, pointing out that many countries battling with terrorism have not shelved general elections.

    The Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER) also took exception to the postponement, saying that it has made INEC a lame duck. Its Coordinator, Mr. Ayo Opadokun, said that Jega was blackmailed to shift the dates, adding that the commission has lost its independence. “The real reason for postponing the elections may have been concealed from the public. There is a hidden agenda somewhere and Nigerians should not sleep on guard, “ he added.

    However, Lagos State PDP governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje said the poll shift was constitutional, although he acknowledged that it meant more expenses and more stress for candidates. “The postponement is within the confines of the constitution and the electoral guidelines. As long as May 29 is sacrosanct, everything is in order,” he added.

    After the poll shift, what next? Fashola enjoined Nigerians to prepare for March 28 and April 11. He told  party supporters at Alimoso: “Buhari has asked me to greet you . He said you should not fight because he does not want anybody to die. He said you should go and take your OVCs, if you have not obtained them.” The governor also urged party supporters to sustain the tempo of mobilisation, ahead of the poll. “Be calm. Be patient. The end has come for the PDP. Your government is on the way,” he said.

    Lagos State APC Chairman Otunba Dele Ajomale said the poll shift was worrisome, urging party supporters not to despair. He described the election as a football match, adding that the PDP has refused to file out. Addressing party faithful at Abesan Estate, Ipaja, he said:”Don’t despair. Vote and you will reap the reward for voting wisely. They think they can dampen our enthusiasm by postponing the elections. They are wasting their time. They are footballers who refused to come to the field. With the shift, they will lose by a wide margin.”

    Southwest APC Women Leader Chief Kemi Nelson said the postponement ,may be a blessing in disguise for the main opposition party. She advised Nigerians to obtain their voter’s cards and maintain their abiding commitment to change at the centre.

    However, there are certain issues that should be resolved before the new dates. Security chiefs have said that they needed six weeks to restore security in the Northeast states of Adamawa, Yobe, Borno and Gombe. If they fail to restore security, what happens? Will the polls be postponed again?

    One of the reasons for postponing the elections was the flawed distribution f the PVCs. What methods will the Federal Government employ to encourage Nigerians to go for the cards? State governments have declared public holidays. Will the Federal Government follow suit?

     

  • On the postponement of elections

    SIR: Some weeks ago, rumors started flying that the earlier scheduled February, 14 and 18 elections might not hold after all. When I first learnt about it, I dismissed it outright because INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega had stated in several fora that the scheduled dates stand. On deep reflection, I said to myself: With President Jonathan, nothing is impossible! How apt I was?

    Just like any other unpopular policies of this government, it was first denied; a sudden Council of State meeting was later summonmed to give the postponement some face lift, and to the glory of God, after listening to Prof. Jega’s presentation, the Council overruled the President and came to a conclusion that President Jonathan was just crying more than the bereaved and right there and then, Jega was given the go ahead to continue with the election process as scheduled.

    Trust our President; he decided to use the military high command (with Boko Haram as an excuse) to push the proposal using the so-called National Security Adviser Col. Sambo Dasuki (who was the first to fly the kite in faraway London) as the coordinator. Jega held series of meetings with all the relevant election stakeholders including his 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners and the overwhelming majority of them rejected the call for the postponement. I believe that in a democratic society like ours, majority should have had their way. Unfortunately, the voice of the minority was upheld and the election was postponed by six weeks! I am not surprised, because in Jonathan’s administration, 16 is greater than 19 any way.

    My view on this issue is this: what has Jonathan got to do with fixing of elections date? Who should complain, INEC or the President? Do we even need military to conduct elections? Is Jonathan afraid of losing election? Was there no insurgency in Nigeria when the 2011 elections were conducted?

    These are pertinent questions that only the proponents of the postponement can answer. As for me and without sounding anarchical, I would conclude with a popular quote that “where peaceful change become impossible, violent change becomes inevitable”

     

    • Muhammad Adamu Auta

    muhammaduauta@gmail.com

  • 2015 polls: Postponement bad for economy-Lagos Chamber

    2015 polls: Postponement bad for economy-Lagos Chamber

    ANXIETY over the planned post-ponement of the 2015 February general elections has not abated as the council of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has expressed concern over the calls in some quarters for the postponement of the elections, warning that the postponement may have adverse effect on the economy.

    In a statement made available to The Nation, which reads in part, the council noted that such a move would have significant negative consequences for investors’ confidence, the economy, and the stability of the polity.  The credibility of the electoral process could also be put at risk.

    The LCCI council urged all Nigerians and in particular the political class to respect the outcome of the elections; and candidates with reservations should seek redress in accordance with the law. All forms of violence should be avoided. Without peace, nothing else will happen in an economy

    “Political and social stability are critical factors that drive investors’ confidence. Therefore, the quality of the electoral process and the conduct of the major players in the political space are most critical at this time.  The LCCI Council reiterates its call on the key institutions in the transition process to be above board – INEC, security agencies and the judiciary. They should be non-partisan, and should be seen to be so.  This is necessary to earn the confidence of the citizens and the stakeholders in the electoral process.”

    The LCCI council also reiterated its call for the federal government to discontinue its subsidy scheme on PMS and kerosene in the light of the drop in global oil price. Government should take the opportunity presented by the current realities to exit the subsidy scheme in view of the fiscal leakages and other transparency issues associated with the scheme. This would liberate the downstream oil sector from the shackles of inefficiency and corruption. The council maintained that this is the time to allow the private sector to take full charge of the downstream sector and unleash the huge potential that exists in the sector.

  • No to postponement

    The statement issued from the presidency without a sense of shame. President Goodluck Jonathan’s spokesperson Doyin Okupe cast an insult on the decency and collective civic faith of our people when he said the country’s leader wants to postpone the elections slated for February 14 and 28 of this year.

    The expression  of “concerns” is no more than a kite from the presidency to shift the election from the dates. We want to state categorically that the elections of February 14 and 28 are sacrosanct, and efforts by the presidency and his party, the People’s Democratic Party,  to postpone them undermine the spirit and letter of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Okupe  gave a number of reasons for a possible postponement. One, the permanent voter cards insufficiency. Two, insecurity in the northeast. Okupe also said the Independent National Electoral Commission was not ready. He also gave a version of INEC president’s presentation to the Council of State’s meeting on Thursday.

    The issue of insecurity did not begin today and it has been a persistent problem in the country. The citizens in the states of Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Gombe have not even shown that they are not interested in the polls. Only some designated local governments areas have been taken over by the Boko Haram sect. The INEC President, who meets with party leaders later today, had told the Council of States that he is ready for the elections. He has achieved a substantial compliance in the distribution of PVCs and has repeatedly shown that his commission is up to the task of the polls.

    He said that he has distributed up to 65 per cent of the PVCs, and was ready to go ahead with the polls. More PVCs will be distributed before February 14. But Okupe, who spoke for the president said there was an area that was outside the purview of the INEC: Security, that is.

    Is security not the first and primary responsibility of government? If the Jonathan administration that has bungled ignominiously the fight against the subversive sect cannot provide security for the elections, it is an admission of failure.

    If the president wants to postpone the elections, if even for a few weeks, does it mean that this government would wipe out Boko Haram in a few weeks? This same government that has not been able to roll the insurgents back after a state of emergency, the creation of a division and trillions of Naira on security budget?

    This is mischief from high places. If the government is concerned today about security, what does it have now that it did not have in the past? Apart from the advances of the Chad and Cameroun armies, ours has been a supine soldiery in that Area. Even those countries cannot give a timeline for the prosecution of the battle against the insurgents.

    What Okupe did is a roll-back to the years of the June 12 crisis under Ibrahim Babangida where the postponement of election was a fixture that eventually led to an election that was annulled. The president should be clear what he wants. If he wants a postponement, he should tell us he is afraid of an election. The people are poised to vote, and Jega has said he is ready for the vote.

    What is at stake is not just an election, but the integrity of the constitution of Nigeria. We hope this is not a quicksand from the PDP under Jonathan. The president had always had postponement in mind when he met with the visiting secretary of state of the United States, John Kerry. Kerry suggested that a postponement was not in order. Jonathan said he would hand over May 29, cleverly ignoring the issue of poll postponement. He also sent his National security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, to London to fly the postponement kite.

    Under Ibrahim Babangida, the elections were put off repeatedly as ploys to shift handover dates. So, Nigerians cannot be fooled by any shenanigans from the Jonathan administration. The news report had it that the plot is to put off the elections date after date until it leads to the expiry of Jega’s tenure in June. In that event, two things would have happened. One, the overthrow of the constitution by shifting the handover date. This will mean the president will overstay his constitutional tenure in office. Two, the planting of a new INEC boss who may be pliant to the cause of the Presidency.

    The consequences of this scenario for calm in the polity are better imagined that delineated. We hope for the peace of this country that it is not the design of the president and his men.

    According to the constitution Jega is the only person who can decide whether the elections can be postponed or not. A meddlesome president will only undermine the sanctity of the constitution and democratic spirit.

    This democracy belongs to all Nigerians. It does not belong to the president. He is the leader by a democratic process. He should not be seen to want to subvert it from above.

  • ‘No to postponement’

    A CHIEFTAIN of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Isiaka Adeleke, has cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan against shifting the February 14 and 28 general elections, advising the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain truly independent.
    Adeleke said the President had called for a contest and, as such, should not shy away from its conduct.
    The former Senate Committee Chairman on INEC, in a statement by his media adviser, Olumide Lawal, said any attempt to derail the election programmes “and the strenuous campaign efforts so far embarked upon by various political parties and their candidates, will tantamount to an insult on the collective intelligence of Nigerians, who are seriously clamouring for a change of government at the federal level through APC.”

  • Calls for postponement of elections mischievous, says Lawyers4Change

    Calls for postponement of elections mischievous, says Lawyers4Change

    A  group,  Lawyers for Change (Lawyers4Change) has urged Nigerians to stop the mudslinging of the Presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari.

    The group also described as mischievous, the call for a shift in the dates for elections.

    National Coordinator of Lawyers4Change, Adesina Ogunlana, at a press conference, urged the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) not to postpone the elections.

    On General Buhari’s qualifications, he said there was enough evidence which attest to the fact that the APC presidential candidate attended and graduated from various military institutions abroad before and after becoming a commissioned officer.

    He stressed that Constitutional lawyer Prof. Itsay Sagay(SAN) had further clarified that a diploma from the US War College is the equivalent of Masters Degree.

    “Buhari’s regime remainz the most credible government in Nigeria today. So, all mudslinging about Buhari can’t take away the fact that he is in the class of Aminu Kano of this world”, he stated.

    Ogunlana acknowledged  that the country has been gripped with election fever and that there is a lot of tension in the air because of the February 14, 2015 Presidential elections.

    He urged all political leaders to do their utmost best to curtail violence and uncivilized modes of electioneering adding that people who are genuinely interested in serving any community should not engage in dislocating, disrupting and distroying same community.

    He further advised all security agencies to eschew partisanship in the discharge of their duties.

    “Violence is an ill wind that blows no one any good. Let all security heads and officials know that they are agencies set up for the protection of the state and not to serve the interests of any political party or group”, he stated

     

  • February 2015: Call For Postponement In Bad Faith – CDRP

    A leading civil society organization in Nigeria, Committee for Democracy and Rights of the People (CDRP) has strongly condemned the call for the postponement of the February 2015 Nigeria’s general elections by Sambo Dasuki, Presidential Adviser on National Security, maintaining that the call was in bad faith.

    This was contained in a statement signed by the Acting National Coordinator of the group, Comrade Saka Waheed and made available to newsmen in Osogbo, the State of Osun capital.

    According to the group, the call by the National Security Adviser to the President was not only in bad faith but also an attempt to create new tension in the nation’s body polity.

    The group described the call for postponement as provocative, totally unfathomable and grossly unintelligible from a high-ranking officer of the government.

    “At a time like this, when we need to support, encourage and empower INEC to fulfil its constitutional duty by ensuring that the necessary materials are provided well in time before the elections, the call for postponement by the NSA was nothing but an institutional discouragement of the hardworking Chairman of INEC and his men and women,” Saka said.

    Prof. Jega has always re-affirmed the commitment of his commission to conduct the elections as scheduled, even in the troubled areas of the North East of Nigeria, while he also admitted that there are few challenges here and there regarding permanent voters’ cards and other logistics, however, the commission never gave any reason whatsoever that may warrant postponement.

    Saka further stated that, the NSA must focus on how the country will be secured before, during and after the February general elections and not dabble into an electoral process, where he has little or no knowledge.

    The group therefore called on Nigerians to visit INEC designated collection centres and collect their permanent voters’ cards, and prepare to cast their votes for candidates of their choice in the upcoming general elections as scheduled by INEC.

     

  • Postponement call meant to cause disaffection

    Postponement call meant to cause disaffection

    The Buhari Support Organisation, the umbrella body of over 300 voluntary organisation working for the election of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, said yesterday that the suggestion by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, that the forthcoming general election should be postponed was intended to overheat the polity and cause disaffection among Nigerians.

    The organisation also said that the call was a tactical way of rigging the presidential election in favour of President Goodluck Jonathan, and called on former Nigeria leaders and the international community not to keep quiet but to speak out on the need to allow the elections to go ahead in other to preserve the sanctity of the nation.

    The APC Caucus in the House of Representatives also yesterday claimed that the calls for postponement of the forthcoming elections were impelled by fears in the camp of President Goodluck Jonathan that he will lose the presidential election.Spokesman of the Buhari Support Organisation, Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, said at a news conference in Abuja yesterday that Nigerians are ready to exercise their right and vote out this current government, saying that Nigerians will resist any form of electoral impunity foisted on them.

    Expressing disappointment with the National Security Adviser for the suggestion, he said: “We are totally taken aback by the suggestions made yesterday by the National Security Adviser to the effect that the February elections be postponed.

    “As the NSA, he is a very highly placed key figure and a close associate of Mr. President. It is expected that he should be very conversant with the security implications of such postponement and should rather advise to the contrary, even if that is what the boss would have preferred.

    “These are all indications that the PDP does not truly want open democratic contest in which Nigerians will decide who leads them after this corrupt dispensation. We condemn in its entirety such careless, provocative and crisis-prone statement from such a high level of government.

    “This is certainly the high point of the serial breaches to the Abuja accord by the PDP government. This suggestion is intended to overheat the polity by causing severe disaffection among the generality of the public with attendant disastrous consequences.

    “A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. We therefore call on the PDP-led administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to allow the Nigerian people to freely express their choice and determination for a free and fair election devoid of any exogenous technical rigging and manipulation by shifting the goal post.

    “Today, we appeal to the international community for assistance to advice President Goodluck Jonathan on the need to keep strictly to the terms of the Abuja accord and not push his good luck too far. Nigerians are prepared and ready to cast their votes come February 2015.”

    The organization posited that any effort to postpone the elections would amount to rigging in favour of the incumbent.

    “INEC have repeatedly maintained its stand that it is ready. They have in the last four years prepared and promised Nigerians that they are set to deliver.

    “We call on all our elder statesmen and former presidents of this country to speak truth to power and let the needful be done to preserve the sanctity of our dear nation.

    “We also plead with the sponsors of the Abuja accord to deploy their local and international reach and bring their wealth of experience to prevent the abortion of this well thought out plan for Nigeria to hold a peaceful national election in February 2015.

    “We call on civil societies, trade unions, organised labour and associations of professionals to rise up to this occasion and assist INEC to deliver on their promise to conduct the February 2015 elections.

    “We wish to draw the early attention of ECOWAS, the AU and UN to this plan to truncate democracy in Nigeria by a sitting government afraid of losing election for the first time in Nigeria’s political history, even though it happens frequently in other civilised democracies.

    “Nigerians are poised to redeem their nation from 16 years misrule. They want to embark on the process through democratic means as provided for in our constitution.”

    The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives and leader of APC House caucus, Femi Gbajabiamila, yesterday said the plan to “unconstitutionally extend the tenure of President Goodluck Jonathan” will not work,

    In a statement signed by his Research and Media Assistant, Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart, the lawmaker said the clandestine move by President Jonathan’s government to extend its tenure is stimulated by “fear of imminent defeat and an afterthought ready to die in the manner of Obasanjo’s third term plot.”

    The lawmaker flayed the call of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, who had on Thursday in London called for a postponement of the elections on the premise that the permanent voter cards had not been fully distributed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Gbajabiamila said the National Security Adviser only expressed his opinion because he does not have any constitutional role in the distribution of voter cards.

    He said: “This was the plot all along. The NSA has no role to play in the distribution of permanent voter cards. Whatever they do and however they do it, they cannot go against the provisions of the constitution, which is sacrosanct and must be obeyed.”