State of Emergency…Shettima, Gaidam, Nyako reject 2015 polls suspension

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima and his Yobe counterpart Ibrahim Gaidam said suspending the polls would amount to bowing to the insurgents, whose campaign of violence has caused the death of thousands since 2010.For his part, Adamawa Governor Murtala Nyako said the idea of suspending elections smacked of an agenda against states controlled by opposition […]

Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima and his Yobe counterpart Ibrahim Gaidam said suspending the polls would amount to bowing to the insurgents, whose campaign of violence has caused the death of thousands since 2010.
For his part, Adamawa Governor Murtala Nyako said the idea of suspending elections smacked of an agenda against states controlled by opposition political parties.
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, had said on Monday that elections may not hold in states under a state of emergency if the security situationpersists.
Emergency rule was first proclaimed in the three states by President Goodluck Jonathan in May for an initial period of six months, and this has been extended by another six months.
“Ideally, you cannot conduct election under a period of emergency,” Jega said at a forum organised by a Senate committee.
But in his reaction to this yesterday, Governor Shettima said suspending elections “in any part of the 36 states and the FCT on account of Boko Haram activities would amount to making the insurgents supreme over the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it will be defeatist on our part as a nation.”
According to his spokesman Isa Gusau, the governor also said: “The goal of Boko Haram is to impose their beliefs on us, subvert our constitution and our democracy and replace them with inhuman laws that support killings and destructions and should we suspend any part of the country whether in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa or any place at all from taking part in the 2015 election, the insurgents would presuppose successes on their part and itching close to achieving their goals, and we cannot allow that.”
He added: “If Boko Haram is able to stop elections in three states, they might in no time, simply target additional states and gradually, they might stop elections in Nigeria; we can’t allow that.”
Shettime suggested that INEC could schedule elections in Borno on dates other than those when polls would hold elsewhere, such that “there can be massive security deployment to man everywhere to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections, by that we will triumph over evil.”
He commended the security forces for their role in efforts to contain the insurgency, saying suspending elections “will make mockery of the sacrifices made by those who laid their lives to defend our constitutional democracy.”
Shettima also said Borno is safer today compared to when the 2011 elections held, and that the situation is expected to improve.
Gaidam: It’s mind-boggling
In his reaction, Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam described INEC’s position on possible suspension of elections as “mind-boggling.”
In a statement by his spokesman Abdullahi Bego, Gaidam said since the period of the state of emergency is to expire in April next year, it was presumptuous of Prof Jega to mull suspending elections that are scheduled for early 2015.
Bego said, “Is the INEC National Chairman therefore predicting that the emergency situation will extend indefinitely?”
He added: “Significantly, we are concerned about how widely held this pessimistic view is at the federal level…. Yobe State Government believes strongly that there is no reason not to conduct election in the state or in Adamawa and Borno States.
“The Yobe State Government also believes that there is no reason why Boko Haram terrorists would not be routed, their activities stopped and peace and stability restored within the remaining months of the current emergency rule.”
Bego also said the local government election in Yobe is still going ahead on December 28, despite skepticism by INEC.
For his part, Adamawa State Governor Murtala Nyako said the “sinister” idea of suspending elections was a plot against states controlled by opposition parties.
Nyako’s spokesman Ahmad Sajoh told Daily Trust in Yola that Presidential adviser Ahmed “Gulak was in Yola on Monday, he said 2015 election would hold when Nyako is not a governor. Now Jega is saying elections would not hold in Adamawa. Is the federal government flying a kite for a plan to disenfranchise us from choosing who is going to be the next president?”
He also pointed out that emergency rule is to expire in April, eight months away from the 2015 general elections.
APC: We saw this coming
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which controls the three states under emergency rule, yesterday said the idea to suspend elections was part of an agenda to weaken its support base.
In a communiqué at the end of the 7th regular meeting of the Interim National Executive Committee of the party in Abuja, APC national chairman Bisi Akande said: “The APC has earlier alerted the nation of the strategy of the Jonathan administration to depopulate areas where our party has strong followings and suppress voter turnout in the Northern and South-West states through deliberate exacerbation of insecurity. We suspect that wittingly or unwittingly the recent declaration of INEC that elections are not likely to take place in states under state of emergency is in furtherance of this agenda.
“The APC hereby warns that it will not accept the deliberate disenfranchisement of large swathes of our citizenry. APC will fight to defend the right of every eligible Nigerian voter to vote. We also want to alert the Federal Government that any attempt to extend the state of emergency without any justification will be resisted by every lawful and constitutional means.”
The party also alleged plans by the “PDP to procure a pliant judge to declare the seats of the G-5 governors vacant in spite of the Supreme Court decision in the case of Atiku in 2007…. The APC will not only resist this lawfully but hereby warns the PDP to desist from words and deeds of impunity that threaten our stability and democracy.”
The APC executive meeting also welcomed for the first time the five PDP governors who defected to APC. Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano and Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers were present while governors of Adamawa, Sokoto and Kwara were represented.