Military in Cahoots with PDP to Rig Elections, Alleges APC

APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun

•   Plot to oust Jega thickens, opposition parties vow to resist sack

Chuks Okocha and Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the country’s military hierarchy of engaging in a surreptitious but deliberate plot to subvert the will of the people.

The party, which had, along with its presidential candidate, Major-General Muhammudu Buhari, warned that they would not tolerate another shift in the election dates, said it had got wind of a secret memo by the presidency to all commanders of divisions and battalions of the Nigerian Army inviting them to a meeting on this Monday on how to use the military to intimidate voters in APC states.

Addressing a news conference at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, said the entire process leading to the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to shift the February election was suspicious, especially the manner in which military chiefs suddenly changed position not to guarantee security for the elections.

He accused the military high command of engaging in an unholy alliance with the PDP to undermine the will of the Nigerian people.

“The greatest threat to our democracy today is the way the ruling party has compromised the leadership of the Nigerian military to serve the personal agenda of President Jonathan. This is a dangerous game.

“A recent court judgment in Sokoto clearly ruled that the military had no role in the electoral process. What happened with this postponement is that the service chiefs simply vetoed a democratic process on the directive of President Jonathan,” he said.

While picking holes in the reasons for postponement of the elections, Oyegun said both Jonathan and the military chiefs had assured US Secretary of State, John Kerry, during their meetings with him that the elections would hold as scheduled and that security will be provided.

He quoted the Chief of Army Staff, General Kenneth Minimah, as having said that the army was aware of the need for security, before, during and after the elections and that it will deploy soldiers across the states of the federation in areas with a propensity for violence.

Oyegun further explained that the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Adesola Amosun, had said that the command had commenced the airlift of the materials needed for the elections, starting from Abuja.

He said at the time the National Security Adviser (NSA) spoke about the need for the postponement of the elections, he had blamed the poor distribution of the Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) as reason for the postponement, adding that the APC was now at a loss how the issue of lack of security was now being used as reason for the shift in the polls.

He described as pure blackmail the decision by the military to write INEC on its inability to provide security for the elections.

“The sum total of all this is that only 12 days before the elections and despite the state of insecurity in the North-east, the entire military high command had assured the nation of their readiness to provide security for the elections.

“However, only 3 days later on Friday, February 6, these same service chiefs wrote a letter to INEC, which by all practical purposes could be described as blackmail, saying that they would no longer be able to provide security for the elections. What happened in those 72 hours that brought about this complete volte face?” he asked.
Continuing, Oyegun said even more worrisome was how the ruling party had compromised the operational code of the military.

He alleged that the party was aware of secret letter emanating from the presidency which was forwarded to all the military commands summoning them to a strategy meeting in Kaduna where they will perfect means of using the security forces to rig the coming elections.

“We are aware that the presidency has forwarded a secret memo to all commanders of divisions and battalions of the Nigerian Army for a three-day strategy meeting in Kaduna from today on how to use the military to intimidate voters in APC states to rig the elections in favour of President Jonathan.

“We are aware of plans for worse intimidation in the days ahead. We are aware of plans to intimidate and orchestrate the arrest of our leaders across the country on frivolous grounds,” he said.

In the same vein, the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation has said that Jonathan was consumed with fear over the outcome of the elections, leading to their postponement by six weeks.

In a statement released by the campaign’s Directorate of Media and Publicity on Monday, the campaign office said that while the postponement was done to supposedly enable a multinational force that will launch an onslaught on Boko Haram and recover captured territories, the president had actually seen the handwriting on the wall and had become desperate, like most men in a state of panic.

“All the opinion polls show that President Jonathan is in his last days at Aso Rock,” said Malam Garba Shehu, Director of Media and Publicity.
“Reports reaching us say that even the polls that his government has commissioned in secret by independent polling companies in the United States, United Kingdom and Israel have shown him that the Nigerian people are massively against him.  He is surely headed for a loss at the polls.”

The statement added that Jonathan had the past five years to do everything his government could to stem the Boko Haram crisis, and was now pretending to be suddenly concerned about the people of the North-east when he had hitherto showed no concern for their welfare.

“How does he expect anyone to believe that he suddenly cares about the same people he has abandoned all this while?  Or does he suddenly care because there is an election coming up?  What kind of leader is that?” Shehu queried.

Meanwhile, as the condemnation of the postponement of the polls continues unabated, THISDAY has also learnt that the plot to force the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, to proceed on terminal leave is gathering momentum, even though his tenure is expected to end by June 30.

But some opposition political parties under the auspices of Coalition of Progressives Political Parties (COP3) monday vowed to resist the move to oust him. They however blamed Jega for playing into the hands of the ruling PDP.
THISDAY gathered that some senior government officials who are behind the move to remove the INEC chairman have accused him of bias in the management of the commission, especially in the one-sided appointment of senior INEC officials into key offices of the commission.

Also, the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) led by elder statesman and former Federal Commissioner of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme, Senator Femi Okuorunmu, former Governor of Anambra State, Chukwuemeka Ezeife and others, had accused the INEC chairman of manipulating the distribution of the permanent voters’ cards (PVCs) in favour of the northern states.

They further accused Jega of holding meetings with some northern political groups with the intention of rigging the election.

But the INEC chairman at the weekend denied the allegations against him, describing it as a “distraction”.

THISDAY gathered that some PDP officials would be tabling these allegations before a critical meeting of the presidency and PDP stakeholders slated for this week at the Presidential Villa.

A source told THISDAY that the party is not folding its arms over the allegations, explaining: “When the critical stakeholders meet to review the presidential campaign, the Jega matter would certainly be discussed.

“We have received several reports on this matter and I can assure you that it would be looked into and a decision taken.”

When asked if this would include Jega’s sack, the source said: “If it is verified that he has compromised his office, then he has to be shown the way out. No one is above the law, but certainly we are not overlooking these allegations.”

The source said that presidency was also not happy that the INEC chairman who had placed the entire blame of the shift in the polls on security reasons, adding, “Jega is aware that most of the blamed should be placed on the commission’s unpreparedness for the elections. But he chose not to tell the truth and pointed at insecurity in the North-east as the sole reason for the postponement.”

However, some opposition parties have said that any attempt to remove the INEC chairman by the federal government would be resisted, as his removal will tarnish the integrity of the general election and precipitate a crisis in the country.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and leader of COP3, Bashir Ibrahim, said though Jega had played into the hands of the ruling party by rescheduling the dates of the general election, the coalition of parties vowed to resist the move to remove the INEC chairman from office.

“The role of the Election Management Board (EMB) led by Jega, in shifting the dates of the election may not be the best, but any move to remove Jega would be resisted,” he said.

The leader of COP3 said that if the INEC chairman is removed, it would prove that the shift of the general election was a plot engineered by the PDP for ulterior motives.