NSA tells INEC to shift elections

Dasuki spoke yesterday in London while delivering a lecture titled “Nigeria’s security: Insurgency, Elections and Coordinating responses to multiple threats.”The lecture held at Chatham House, a London think-tank, where the NSA said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had only distributed 30 million cards with 30 million more yet to be given out.He added, however, […]

Dasuki spoke yesterday in London while delivering a lecture titled “Nigeria’s security: Insurgency, Elections and Coordinating responses to multiple threats.”
The lecture held at Chatham House, a London think-tank, where the NSA said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had only distributed 30 million cards with 30 million more yet to be given out.
He added, however, that INEC had assured him it would complete the process in time for the election.
But the suggestion had been rejected outright by opposition parties and prominent Nigerians.
Even though the NSA said he had told INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, but the electoral body told reporters yesterday it was hearing about the suggestion for the first time.
Answering, questions the NSA said,  “…The law provides for election to be conducted not more than 90 days before and not less than 30 days to the end of the administration.
“February 14th is closer to the 90 days before the end of the tenure of the present administration. And we raised it with INEC.
We said look there is a problem if you had a year plus and all we’ve been able to do is distribute, I think about 50% of the cards—we still have about 30 million cards, according to them, to distribute–, look at the possibility of shifting this thing and shift  it to the time when everybody has a card because it doesn’t cost you anything. It is still within the law and it is safer for all of us. So, that is what we are encouraging.”
Asked if he was advocating for a delay in the election, Dasuki said “They keep assuring us everybody will have his card, but  I doubt it.
“If in one year, you’ve distributed 30 million, I don’t see how you will distribute another 30 million in two weeks. It doesn’t make sense, but that is where we are.
“What I said is that there is nothing wrong with us delaying to ensure that everybody who ought to vote gets that card to vote because the comment every day we hear is you can’t vote without permanent voters’ card.
“And if you can’t vote without permanent voters’ card, what sense does it make to vote three months early when 30 million cards have not been issued and are still with INEC.
“So, that’s my position. So INEC makes the determination. If you can distribute those cards today, we would all be happy. But if you can’t, please, consider.  Look at the other option.
However, Daily Trust recalls that on February 7, INEC released a bar chart showing permanent voters’ card distribution to the various states and the FCT.
The table showed that 54,341,610   cards had been received from the printers of which 38, 774, 391 had been distributed leaving a balance of 15,567,219 as at then.
In the last two weeks, the commission had decentralised the distribution of the cards to speed up the process.
The call for the postponement of the election had been made in the past few weeks.
Pastor Tunde Bakare recently suggested the general elections be delayed by six months to allow a review of the election timetable.
Also on Tuesday, Governor Bala Ngilari of Adamawa, at at recent event, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the elections in the state until April due to insecurity.
However the suggestion was rejected by participants at the event.