The Nigerian presidency is currently engaged in
the bribery of small political parties who are
billed to meet with the Independent National
Electoral Commission Saturday to discuss
possible postponement of the forthcoming
elections, multiple sources in the presidency
and in the parties have told PREMIUM TIMES.
A presidency source, who declined to be named
for security reasons, said Friday night that
presidency officials are distributing between
$30,000 to $50, 000 to the parties and asking
them to push aggressively for the postponement
of the elections on Saturday.
Our sources said apart from the smaller parties,
government officials are reaching out to the
resident electoral commissioners, who will also
hold a separate meeting with Mr. Jega on
Saturday.
“A large chunk of the dollars have also been
budgeted to bribe some of the RECs to vote for
the shifting of the election,” our source said.
Another source said the smaller parties have
been asked to push for at least six weeks
extension.
Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, could
not be reached to comment for this story. Calls
to his telephone failed to connect.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on
Public Affairs, Doyin Okupe, did not answer or
return calls.
INEC has fixed separate meetings with
chairmen and secretaries of all registered
political parties, and resident electoral
commissioners for Saturday to decide whether
to go ahead with the general elections
scheduled for February 14 and 28.
A statement Friday by Kayode Idowu, the
spokesperson for the INEC Chairman, Attahiru
Jega, said after the meetings, “the Commission
will address a press conference to brief the
nation on its decision with regard to whether or
not the general elections will hold as currently
scheduled”.
Mr. Jega had on Thursday briefed the National
Council of States on the preparedness of the
Commission to conduct the 2015 general
elections.
He made a presentation titled “Preparations for
the 2015 General Elections: Progress Report”.
The National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki,
and the nation’s services chiefs also briefed the
Council on the current security situation in the
North-East.
Mr. Jega told the Council that his commission
was in a better position to conduct election at
present compared to its state of preparedness
for the 2011 election.
“Compared with the 2011 General Elections, for
instance, our systems are definitely more
robust. We believe that we are ready for the
elections as planned,” Mr. Jega said.
PREMIUM TIMES gathered that convening of
the meeting even after the Council of State gave
the green light for the poll to go ahead was a
result of intense pressure from the Federal
Government.
The Electoral Act 2010 as amended recognizes
INEC as the only body with powers to shift
polls, often due to security concerns.
The Act however, requires the commission to
only shift the polls in specific areas where there
is no sufficient security to conduct the poll,
except if the nation is at war
Section 26(1) of the Electoral Act 2010
(amended) states that:
“Where a date has been appointed for the holding of an election, and there is reason to believe that a serious breach of the peace is
likely to occur if the election is proceeded with
on that date or it is impossible to conduct the
elections as a result of natural disasters or other
emergencies, the commission may postpone the
election and shall in respect of the area, or areas
concerned, appoint another date for the holding
of the postponed election provided that such
reason for the postponement is cogent and
verifiable.”
Sixteen political parties and four presidential
candidates have earlier in the week called for
the postponement of the general elections,
threatening a boycott should the elections hold
as scheduled.
Among the parties who called for the
postponement were United Democratic Party,
UDP; the Citizen Peoples Party, CPP; the
Peoples Party of Nigeria, PPN; the Action
Alliance, AA; the Peoples Democratic Congress,
PDC; the Labour Party, LP; Unity Party of
Nigeria, UPN; Alliance for Democracy, AD; the
Democratic Peoples Party, DPP; the New
Nigerian Peoples Party, NNPP; and the
Independent Democrat, ID.
The presidential candidates who want the
election dates moved are Sam Ekeh of CPP,
Anifowose Kelani of AA, and Ganiyu Galadima
of ACPN.
However, 10 other parties on Thursday also
addressed a press conference rejecting the call
for postponement by the 16 other parties.
The 10 parties are the Peoples Democratic
Movement, PDM; African Peoples Alliance,
APA; KOWA Party; Mega Progressives Peoples
Party, MPPP; Social Democratic Party, SDP;
African Democratic Congress, ADC; Hope
Democratic Party, HDP; Democratic Peoples
Party, DPP; United Progressives Party, UPP; and
Accord Party, AP.

www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/176386-presidency-allegedly-bribing-small-parties-ahead-inec-meeting-saturday.html

No wonder the exchange rate to the dollar is rising at an alarming rate.

God go punish them

On feBuhari 14 we stand

jaybee3:
No wonder the exchange rate to the dollar is rising at an alarming rate.

Lol I think you are right

Nigerian Government Account is bound to deplete drastically in this period because clinging on to power is something the present administration can die over. A call for poll shift all in a bid to perfect rigging strategy will woefully fail.

If they like let them postpone the election to december 25th, all I no is BUHARI/OSINBAJO will be our next president and vice respectively.

So are PDP still the ones paying INEC not to distribute PVCs which is the main reason for calling for the postponement

Jonathan has now turn to Church pet just for sympathy vote...
Hmmm! #IHaveDecided to vote for Change...

a postponement will tell on the integrity of inec. Has anyone noticed that the NSA and presidency are no longer using the pvc excuse but security. Meaning they just want a shift for selfish reasons. Inec should not allow a few greedy politicians truncate this democracy. A postponement may ignite protests and unrest which may get out of control. Let inec not play into their hands.

Jonathan shouldn't take us for granted, bcuz we are not that gullible..

Click like for GMB
Click share for GEJ

If datz how d game wanna go, game on.


Where are all my party members

oya, lets do our own

na you wan go there fight for them?
you people be mumu for believing in all this rumor wey them they pass to u on sahaara / premumtimes/ nairaland ?

I'm not comfortable with the shift. Can't wait to retire the illiterate general politically cum 14th Failbuhari