The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has announced the postponement of the general elections scheduled to take place on the 14th of February 2015 to March 28th and April 11th respectively.
INEC stated this through its Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, stating that there has been security issues bordering the exercise especially in these Boko Haram dominated North Eastern states.
Prof Jega, also said that there is need to recruit about 700,000 ad hoc staff, and it has not been done, following the Permanent Voters Cards, (PVCs) whose printing is ongoing in abroad.
Furthermore, the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) have not readily printed the Voters Register, as printers as still in Abuja, the Federal capital territory.
Prof. Jega while quoting the sections of the Nigerian constitution in a World Press conference and he made it clear that INEC was not under any threat or being forced to postpone the election, rather it has b take such steps as to put so many things right towards the successful 2015 polls in Nigerian nation.
In his words according to Vanguard News, Jega stated thus "“we are not being forced by anybody to take this decision. “This is a decision that we had to take by ourselves. They were not pleasant decisions to take but we had to take the decisions. Nobody has forced us; nobody has coerced us. We stand by this decision”.
INEC further stated that the need for the shifting of the election dates was quite indispensable, as no less than 34 percent of the eleigible voters were able to pick their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and if left that way, it will amount to total neglect of the rights of good number of Nigerian citizens, because they would be made not to exercise their legitimate duties in voting.
Photo credit by Vanguard
