US wants Nigeria Inec election body head Iwu replaced


The US government wants the head of Nigeria's election commission replaced ahead of new polls due in 2011.
Independent National Election Commission (Inec) chairman Maurice Iwu has been blamed for the flawed elections in 2007.
US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson said Mr Iwu was incapable of organising a credible election.
Nigeria is the third largest supplier of oil to the US.
The 2007 poll overseen by Mr Iwu was widely criticised for irregularities such as ballot-stuffing and voter intimidation.
The election was won by Umaru Yar'Adua, although legal challenges to the result lasted for months afterwards.
Mr Iwu's current term as Inec chairman ends in June 2010 and the Obama administration is keen that his past record be taken into account when a new chairman is appointed.


Sick president
The US demands came as a new US-Nigeria Binational Commission was formally inaugurated to improve co-operation between the two countries in areas such as trade, good governance and food security.
President Yar'Adua has not been seen in public since he fell ill in November 2009.
There was speculation that Mr Yar'Adua had in fact died.
However, Muslim and Christian clerics who have visited him over the past week say that, although in poor health, the president is still alive.
"We said the purpose of visiting him was to see if he actually exists," Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, chairman of the Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme last week.
Mr Yar'Adua's duties have been assumed by Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan.
In March, Mr Jonathan dissolved the entire cabinet and made new nominations, most of which were accepted by Nigeria's senate last week.
Mr Jonathan's new cabinet is expected to be formally inaugurated later on Tuesday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8604733.stm

US should go and handle their own pressing issues and stop intruding in the affairs of Nigeria. In as much as we want Iwu to be removed, we do not take orders from them. So what they want or demand is irrelivant in this case.

PLEASE SOME ONE SHOULD CLEAR THE AIR WITH THE VISIT OF SOME CHRISTIAN LEADERS. THE NEWS PAPER I SAW SAID THAT OYENDEPO AND ONIYEKAN DENIED BEING INVITED OR BEING AMONG THE DELEGATION TO THE VILLA. YOU CAN SEE PUNCH OF 6TH APRIL 2010, PP 1, 2

Anyone in their right sense would want such change and hope it will be done before the next general election