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INEC weighs six-week election delay: lawmakers
2015-02-07 21:12
Supporters ride in a campaign bus of leading opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate Mohammadu Buhari and his running mate Yemi Osinbajo as they drive past a campaign poster of Nigerian President and candidate to his re-elect ~ PIUS UTOMI EKPEI
Abuja - INEC met on Saturday to discuss the possibility of a minimum six-week delay to voting on security grounds, lawmakers said.
Bashir Yusuf, head of the smaller opposition Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), said the closed-door talks at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been about postponement.
"The main agenda of the meeting (was) for the political parties to advise INEC on the basis of a request made by the national security advisor that the military is engaged in certain sensitive operations in the northeastern part of the country and that because of this it will be unable to provide adequate security for the elections," he told reporters.
"On the basis of that the national security advisor has requested INEC to consider rescheduling the elections for at least a period of six weeks."
INEC chairman Attahiru Jega had earlier only said that the meeting was called to give delegates information on "new developments" in the organisation of the February 14 poll.
Jega has been under pressure to announce a delay to the presidential and parliamentary poll because not all of the 68.8 million registered voters have received their cards.
The national secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wale Oladipo, said they would "abide by any decision taken by INEC".
But Yusuf said that some parties present at the meeting, including the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), were against any delay.
The PDP's President Goodluck Jonathan has been pushed hard by the APC's Muhammadu Buhari, with predictions that the result is too close to call.
Bashir Yusuf, head of the smaller opposition Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM), said the closed-door talks at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been about postponement.
"The main agenda of the meeting (was) for the political parties to advise INEC on the basis of a request made by the national security advisor that the military is engaged in certain sensitive operations in the northeastern part of the country and that because of this it will be unable to provide adequate security for the elections," he told reporters.
"On the basis of that the national security advisor has requested INEC to consider rescheduling the elections for at least a period of six weeks."
INEC chairman Attahiru Jega had earlier only said that the meeting was called to give delegates information on "new developments" in the organisation of the February 14 poll.
Jega has been under pressure to announce a delay to the presidential and parliamentary poll because not all of the 68.8 million registered voters have received their cards.
The national secretary of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Wale Oladipo, said they would "abide by any decision taken by INEC".
But Yusuf said that some parties present at the meeting, including the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), were against any delay.
The PDP's President Goodluck Jonathan has been pushed hard by the APC's Muhammadu Buhari, with predictions that the result is too close to call.
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