2015 Election: Jonathan Support Group, SNPA Calls For Arrest and Sack of INEC Chairman.

A support group for President Goodluck Jonathan has canvassed for the sack of Independent National Commission, INEC chairman. According to reports the group comprised of some southern elders is called the Southern Nigerian Peoples Assembly, SNPA, have called for the sack and arrest of Professor Attahiru Jega, the chairman of the electoral commission. The group also demanded a postponement of the elections from the scheduled dates.

A press conference in Abuja revealed these demands where it was alleged that the INEC chairman released the Private Voters Card, PVC to officials and district heads in the north while leaving the south unattended. The group claimed 100% distribution of PVCs had been achieved in the north while only 50% had been achieved in the south, a ploy which according to them is a plot to rig and manipulate the elections.

“We authoritatively gathered with unassailable and incontrovertible evidence that the INEC Chairman, who was away in Lagos for an official engagement, through one of his National Commissioners that represented him, met with select leaders of the Northern Elders Forum, led by Prof. Ango Abdullahi, on the 20th August 2014, where strategies and modalities for enthroning a President of Northern extraction through vote rigging were discussed and agreed upon, Mr. Okurounmu said.

“The meeting was sequel to an earlier meeting of Northern Elders Forum held on 16th August, 2014 at Arewa House, Kaduna, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule where it was resolved that all avenues must be explored towards enthroning a President of Northern extraction in the forthcoming 2015 elections.

He stated further, “In addition, Jega reportedly directed the release of PVCs in their catchment states to Emirs, District Heads and top politicians and not necessarily to the voters themselves, a situation that culminated in some voters being in possession of two to three PVCs.

“Despite Jega’s public admission that the Commission has all funds it requires to conduct the 2015 elections, the group was aware that the Northern Elders Forum obtained and distributed 150 pieces of laptops to INEC for each of the Northern states.

“This accounted for nearly 100 per cent PVC collection rate, especially in the North West states, as compared with less than 50 per cent collection rate in the Southern states. This is the reason why Lagos State, with a sophisticated population of over 5.2 million, has not been distributed more than 2.5 million PVCs.”