Govt May Shift Polls By Six Weeks-Daily Times

Monday Agu Jnr,Abuja
Citing the need to defuse the rising tension in the land,
among other reasons, the Federal Government is set to
shift the coming polls by six weeks, the Daily Times has
learnt.
The presidential and National Assembly elections are
currently scheduled for February 14, while those of the
states will hold on February 28.
Daily Times authoritatively learnt that under the new
proposal, the elections may now hold at the end of
March.
The proposed change is hinged on the mounting tension
in the country sequel to violent displays at some of the
ongoing campaigns across the country.
The feeling inside government circles is that there is need
to let the tension, which is nearing boiling point in the
country at the moment, come down before the election
could hold, otherwise there could be an implosion.
Sources say that within the six weeks, efforts will be
made to calm frayed nerves and encourage more people
to embrace peace.
It is feared that the presidential election in particular may
lead to an implosion in the country.
The body language in the North suggests a possible
repeat of the bloodletting that occurred after Jonathan
was declared winner of the 2011 election, if the
incumbent wins again. It is also feared that a similar
turmoil may erupt, especially in the South South, if
General Muhammadu Buhari of the All progressives
Congress (APC) wins the election. Jonathan of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an Ijaw from the
South South area of the country.
Besides, there is uncertainty over whether the elections
could validly hold in the North Eastern states of Borno,
Yobe and Adamawa which have been wracked by the
Boko Haram insurgency. There are security concerns
over the safety of full-time and ad-hoc staff of the
Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) during the
polls.
This development was further accentuated by the recent
declaration by European Union Election Observers who
said they would not be visiting the troubled states over
concerns for their safety.
Another reason being adduced for the proposed shift is
the non-availability of the Permanent Voters Cards (PVC)
across the states. The fear is that this may end up in the
disenfranchisement of many eligible voters.
Thus, the Presidency believes that shifting the polls by
about six weeks would allow more people to get their
PVCs and be eligible to vote.
Indeed, Section 26 (6) of the Electoral Act 2010 stipulates
that an election to the office of the President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be held not earlier than
150 days to the expiration of the date of office and not
later than 30 days to the expiration of the office.
Thus, if the six weeks shift is finally accepted, it will be
within the time stipulated by the Electoral Act as there will
be about 60 days before the expiration of the incumbent’s
stay in office.
Last month, the National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo
Dasuki (Rtd) at a talkshop in the UK mooted the idea of a
slight shift in the date of the elections, a development that
has sparked heated debates across the country.