I can’t guarantee elections will hold March 28, Jega tells senators

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Attahiru Jega, has told Nigerian federal lawmakers he could not guarantee the 2015 general elections will hold on rescheduled dates in March and April.
At a meeting with Senators Wednesday, Mr. Jega said he could not commit himself to the “sanctity” of March 28 and April 11 – dates for the rescheduled Nigeria’s general elections.
He said the electoral commission could not guarantee aspects of the poll that are beyond its control.
Mr. Jega met with the lawmakers to review the decision to postpone the polls from February.
Under the Nigerian law, a further six-week extension of the elections is possible, a prospect opposed by many Nigerians, the main opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, and the international community.
INEC had said the postponement were necessary for security reasons, as military chiefs had warned against going on with the vote to allow it focus on fighting the terror group, Boko Haram.
But the APC said the delay was instigated by President Goodluck Jonathan, to save him and ruling party from losing the elections to the APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari.
Since announcing the new dates nearly two weeks ago, the commission has declined to clearly confirm that there will be no further delay beyond March 28 and April 11, for presidential, National Assembly, governorship and state assembly polls.
Responding to a question by George Akume, Senate Minority Leader, on the sanctity of the new dates, on Wednesday, Mr. Jega said it was difficult for him to respond, saying he could only give assurances over aspects within the control of INEC.
“That’s a very difficult question to answer. I have said not everything that has to do with the conduct of successful election is within the control of INEC,” Mr. Jega said.

Use of card readers
Mr. Jega also said the commission will go forward with its plan to deploy card readers for the elections.
There have been some concerns, mainly from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, about the plan as Nigerian law prohibits electronic voting.
On Wednesday, while PDP Senators opposed the plan, their APC counterparts welcomed it.
Heineken Lokpobri, a PDP Senator from Bayelsa State and Odion Ugbesa, from Edo State, argued against the use of card readers for the elections, saying it would be illegal.
In his response, Mr. Jega said card readers would only be used for accreditation not actual voting.
He said there was no law forbidding the use of electronic devices for accreditation.
“Card reader is used for accreditation not voting. Voting his defined as dropping of ballot paper into ballot box. Accreditation is essential for integrity of the election,” he said.
“Nothing in the constitution says we should not use electronic device in the process of accreditation. Anybody that is not satisfied can go to court. We have solid ground on that,” he said.
He added that the card readers would curb electoral malpractices, as cloned cards would be detected.
Mr. Jega said INEC will perform a mock test on the card readers.
He said some tests had already been taken in the United States, and will now be tested in the six geopolitical zones.
“The card reader has passed in all the 13 test categories conducted in terms of its durability and versatility,” he said.
Mr. Jega said the postponement of the general elections will enable INEC to have a flawless, near-perfect elections.
INEC National Commissioners are to visit state offices to conduct evaluation and comprehensively determine the level of preparation in the election.
He said after the visit, the commission will meet with the heads of departments and directorates of units to conduct a comprehensive assessment, to figure out additional things to be done before March 28.
Mr Jega said a meeting with the inter-agency committee on security will hold a meeting to discuss security on the Election Day.

Reno Omokri reply critics in style (tweets)

After rumours making the rounds on social media that he has been sacked from the position as Special Assistant to the President on New media, Reno Omokri, has issued a biblical response to his supposed ‘enemies’.
Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, had on Tuesday, February 17, confirmed the replacement of Omokri with entertainment mogul, Obi Asika, who is expected to take charge of the president’s social media coverage.
After the announcement, Omokri came under a barrage of attacks from antagonists and he just couldn’t help but respond.
With a couple of bible verses, Omokri answered his critics. He wrote: “I read Proverbs 24:17-18 and I just love my enemies with a passion. Where would I be without them?”
The second tweet said: “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?-Psalm 2:1.”

Who is more intelligent? Buhari or Jonathan? Take a look at this...

APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.) was on Christiane Amanpour’s CNN show about the time President Goodluck Jonathan was having a chat with journalists at a special media meeting in Abuja.

Buhari spoke about the ongoing political situation, his thoughts about Obasanjo’s endorsement and how he’ll fight corruption and Boko Haram if he becomes president.

Here’s a full transcript of the interview:

Amanpour: General, welcome to the programme.

Can I ask you first your reaction to the delay in this election by six weeks and to what you just heard President Jonathan say that they will make inroads into much more security within the next six weeks?

Buhari: Well, my reaction is that of disappointment, because the presentation made by INEC was that they were ready to conduct the election on the date they fixed a year ago, and for them to be forced virtually by the military that they cannot guarantee the safety of their workers, they have to concede to the demand of the military [for an] additional six weeks.

Now since those six weeks are within the constitutional time allowed, this was why we came and asked our supporters to remain calm and resolute and obey the laws.

Amanpour: Okay General, let me ask you because you’re a former military general: You were ruling the country briefly. Why is it that the Nigerian military today cannot take on Boko Haram and have failed to combat that terrorist organisation?

Buhari: Well this has been made much more clear when the National Assembly attempted to conduct a hearing after the soldiers were giving interviews to foreign media about being sent to the front without proper weapons. The National Assembly attempted to conduct a hearing by getting the budgets approved by the National Assembly over the last three years and inviting the service chiefs to come and tell them [why the] weapons were not procured and sent to the soldiers — and competent leadership. And that hearing was scuttled.

So in short, it’s the misapplication or misappropriation of the resources provided by the government for weapons. That’s why the Nigerian military was unable to defeat Boko Haram.

Amanpour: General, you today just got a huge endorsement from a former ally of President Jonathan. That is the former president Obasanjo. How do you react to that, I mean what would that do for your campaign?

Buhari: Well it would certainly bring more supporters to us and more confidence again to us from those who were sitting on the fence, because General Obasanjo is highly respected and as far as Nigerians [issues are] concerned, there’s no serious issue that can be discussed without people seeking for his opinion and listening to it.

Amanpour: Can I now ask you about yourself because headlines around the world are portraying this election as a choice between a failed president and a former dictator — and you’re the former dictator according to these headlines.

You know, people say — and they remember — that you expelled 700,00 migrants years ago thinking that would create jobs, that you’ve banned political meetings and free speech, that you’ve detained thousands of people, secret tribunals, executing people for crimes that were not capital offences. Have you changed or is this what the Nigerian people have to look forward to?

Buhari: Well all those things you mentioned, with a degree of accuracy of actually what happened, was then under a military administration, and when that military adminstration came under my leadership, we — the military — suspended the part of the constitution that we felt would be difficult for us to operate under those circumstances. So I think I’m being judged harshly as an individual that what happened during the military administration can be extended under a multiparty democracy system.

Amanpour: Okay so now you say you’re a democrat. What do you think you can do to combat Boko Haram and to combat the galloping corruption in your country?

Buhari: Well, Boko Haram, we know how it started. Certainly the Nigerian military that built our reputation internationally for effectiveness, it’s a great embarrassment to them and to the country that they haven’t been able to secure [Nigeria’s] territory of an area of 14 local governments out of 774 local governments.

I believed this problem will not be too difficult for [our] APC government because we know the Nigerian military is competent. It’s a question of making sure the money voted for equipment and training [is] properly utilised.

Amanpour: About corruption, there’s so many complaints from many people around your country about massive corruption they say. Can you face up against them? Are you committed to rooting out corruption?

Buhari: We have to, because there are serious citizens of this country that say unless Nigeria kills corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. And that’s best illustrated by another hearing conducted by the National Assembly on pension fund, electricity and then the corruption in the petroleum industry from where the country derives over 90% in external revenue.

The National Assembly conducted a hearing here in Abuja and in the six geopolitical zones of the country, then they took the recommendation to the executive. And it’s been collecting dust for the past 18 months.

Election 2015: Jega appeared, educate Senate on use of card readers

The INEC chairman today stood in front of the senate to explain how the proposed card readers for the 2015 election will be use. Jega said the card readers operate with a battery,in practice during testing the battery does not run down it goes on safe mode when not in use this device also carry sim card whih help to send the details of voters into the server. which will help in getting even statistical data with respect to age, sex, e.t.c. of the electorate. He explain further that it was discovered that the accreditation figures during elections are change in order to perpetuate fraud during election. The demonstration by technical personnel of INEC thereafter took over from there. Jega however affirmed the readiness of the commission to conduct a free, fair and credible elections as schedule

Still ongoing. Further Details later.

Boko haram leader, Shekau fumes says “This election will not hold…”

Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau  has vowed to disrupt Nigeria’s general election in a new video released Tuesday.
In the ninth minute of the video which lasted for 11 minutes 57 seconds, Shekau began to talk about Nigeria’s election, stating that, it will not hold in peace.
“This election will not be held even if we are dead. Even if we are not alive Allah will never allow you to do it,” Shekau said in the Hausa language, presumably referring to the polls scheduled for March 28.
He also claimed a weekend attack in Gombe which the military says was repelled.
“And these words are our reply to the current issue that people are talking about,” Shekau said in apparent response to the accusations and counter-accusations regarding election postponement.
“Allah will not let you people hold this election because you people are saying that ‘authority’ people ruling each other,” he said.
He disputed the military’s account of the Gombe clashe claiming that his fighters overran troops and freed insurgents from prison.
Nigeria’s general election had been scheduled for February 14 but was postponed by six weeks with the security services saying they needed more time to contain the violence in the North east, Boko Haram’s stronghold.

Bayelsa women who visited Jonathan's wife, to be given mass burial

The Bayelsa women who died in a road accident on Saturday February 14 after a visit to First Lady, Patience Jonathan in Ahoada, Rivers state will be given mass burial.
According to reports by SaharaReporters, the decision to give the 11 women a mass burial was reached after pathologists told family members that standard test carried out on the charred remains of the women would take up to 6weeks to ascertain their true identities, a time the family members said was too long to wait.
Most of the victim’s families couldn’t identify their loved one.
May their souls continue to rest.

Governor Amaechi alleged, APC rally in Okrika was disrupt by Jonathan's wife

Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers state has blamed the violence that occured in Okrika, Rivers state during the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally yesterday on the wife of the president, Patience Jonathan.
“Clearly the wife of the president does not want APC to campaign in her home, Okrika,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi who spoke to journalists in Abuja after a meeting of APC leaders at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre condemned the act of violence and expressed disappointment over the inability of law enforcement agents’ to ensure a hitch free campaign for the APC, despite having earlier assured the party of security and gave approval for the campaign to hold.
“Again, as usual, the wife of the president won’t allow the APC hold rally in that place (Okrika). The wife of the president and the governorship candidate of Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP in Rivers again organized thugs to disrupt APC rally. As usual, the police couldn’t protect us, we are talking about over 200 policemen. I asked the commissioner of police and he said they have over 200 policemen there.
“Yet, three explosions and then they opened fire on members of APC. The ChannelsTV reporter I hear, is injured, stabbed, and members of APC injured,” he said.
“We had meetings with DSS (Directorate of State Security) and police and they confirmed we could go ahead. There were 200 policemen and there were over 20 to 30 DSS men who came there and they did nothing,” Amaechi said.
Asked if Rivers state is ready to conduct elections, he said, “you should ask the President that question. He can postpone national election”.
meanwhile the APC gubernatoria candidate have also put the blame on the president's wife and PDP for unleashing violence on innocent citizen who came out for his campaign.