postponement of the elections by
the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, the Presidency
has launched a two-pronged war to
ensure that President Goodluck
Jonathan wins the election
convincingly.
Anambra Supplementary Election:
INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega
addressing pressmen , announcing
November 30 for Supplementary
election at Anambra State while
National Commissioner Lawrence
Nwuruku looks on in Abuja. Photo
by Gbemiga Olamikan.
The two strategies are to stop
Muhammadu Buhari, the All
Progressives Congress candidate
from contesting the election with
Jonathan and the replacement of
the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru
Jega, with a less independent-
minded person.
Jega, it was gathered, had been
described by hawks around the
president of being too independent-
minded and ‘uncooperative’ despite
being given the job on a platter of
gold by the president’s men.
Vanguard learnt that Jega might
have unwittingly played into the
hands of the forces arrayed against
him by agreeing to shift the
elections.
Legal war to disqualify Buhari
Competent sources said last night
that the move to remove Jega and
the legal fireworks against Buhari,
would be taken up simultaneously
with effect from this week given the
timeframe made possible by the
shift.
The retired general is to be
prosecuted by a team of legal
luminaries for ‘lying on oath’ that
he had a school certificate with the
Nigerian Army when he knew that
it was untrue.
The plaintiffs are said to have
settled for trying Buhari for alleged
‘perjury’ instead of outright non-
possession of certificate following
legal advice that the latter would be
more difficult to prove within the
time at their disposal.
Vanguard learnt that although Jega
reluctantly succumbed to pressure
from the Presidency and its
security chiefs to shift the polls, he
might still not be allowed by the
forces to conduct the rescheduled
elections between March 28 and
April 11.
Vanguard gathered from competent
sources that the Presidency was no
longer comfortable with Jega and
was, therefore, working tirelessly to
get him out of the commission to
pave the way for a more ‘trusted
hand’ to conduct the rescheduled
elections.
It was learnt that the forces
arrayed against the INEC boss had
convinced the President not to
renew Jega’s tenure, which is
expected to lapse on June 13 this
year. The forces, it was learnt, felt
that Jega was rather too ‘difficult’
to deal with, having not allowed
himself to be dictated to by anyone
since assuming office like other
appointees of the government.
It was learnt that in a bid to sweep
off Jega from his seat without
raising any dust, he would be asked
to comply with the civil service
procedure by proceeding on his
three months terminal leave with
effect from March 1, this year since
he is expected to retire on June 13.
S-West gov’s brother may replace
Jega
Vanguard gathered that in his
place, the Presidency was
considering bringing in another
academic from the South-West, who
is currently heading a tertiary
institution in the country.
The professor of Political Science
and International Relations is said
to be a sibling of a serving
governor in the South-West, who is
a close ally of President Goodluck
Jonathan and his party.
Competent sources also told
Vanguard last night that although
the name of the academic had been
made known in security circles, it
was not clear whether the man had
been cleared by the forces with a
view to sending his name to the
National Assembly for possible
confirmation, as required by law.
Working against Jonathan’s interest
As a prelude to removing Jega from
office, some close allies of the
President had started accusing him
of taking side with the opposition
to undermine the success of
Jonathan and his party in the next
election.
Earlier last week, Jonathan’s
godfather, Chief Edwin Clark and
other prominent politicians from
the Southern part of the country
had accused Jega of working
against the interest of the president
and the PDP and asked him to
resign from the commission.
Although no evidence was adduced
by Clark and his group to support
their allegation, they nonetheless
called for the arrest of Jega.
Similarly, Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Public Affairs,
Dr. Doyin Okupe, on Saturday, said
Jega had lied about the state of the
commission’s preparedness for the
conduct of the election.
In the same vein, the National
Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr.
Olisa Metuh, accused INEC of
working with the opposition to
deny its members of permanent
voter cards in some states. He
called on the security agents to
probe the commission over the
development.
Source: VanguardABUJA — With the successful
postponement of the elections by
the Independent National Electoral
Commission, INEC, the Presidency
has launched a two-pronged war to
ensure that President Goodluck
Jonathan wins the election
convincingly.
Anambra Supplementary Election:
INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega
addressing pressmen , announcing
November 30 for Supplementary
election at Anambra State while
National Commissioner Lawrence
Nwuruku looks on in Abuja. Photo
by Gbemiga Olamikan.
The two strategies are to stop
Muhammadu Buhari, the All
Progressives Congress candidate
from contesting the election with
Jonathan and the replacement of
the INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru
Jega, with a less independent-
minded person.
Jega, it was gathered, had been
described by hawks around the
president of being too independent-
minded and ‘uncooperative’ despite
being given the job on a platter of
gold by the president’s men.
Vanguard learnt that Jega might
have unwittingly played into the
hands of the forces arrayed against
him by agreeing to shift the
elections.
Legal war to disqualify Buhari
Competent sources said last night
that the move to remove Jega and
the legal fireworks against Buhari,
would be taken up simultaneously
with effect from this week given the
timeframe made possible by the
shift.
The retired general is to be
prosecuted by a team of legal
luminaries for ‘lying on oath’ that
he had a school certificate with the
Nigerian Army when he knew that
it was untrue.
The plaintiffs are said to have
settled for trying Buhari for alleged
‘perjury’ instead of outright non-
possession of certificate following
legal advice that the latter would be
more difficult to prove within the
time at their disposal.
Vanguard learnt that although Jega
reluctantly succumbed to pressure
from the Presidency and its
security chiefs to shift the polls, he
might still not be allowed by the
forces to conduct the rescheduled
elections between March 28 and
April 11.
Vanguard gathered from competent
sources that the Presidency was no
longer comfortable with Jega and
was, therefore, working tirelessly to
get him out of the commission to
pave the way for a more ‘trusted
hand’ to conduct the rescheduled
elections.
It was learnt that the forces
arrayed against the INEC boss had
convinced the President not to
renew Jega’s tenure, which is
expected to lapse on June 13 this
year. The forces, it was learnt, felt
that Jega was rather too ‘difficult’
to deal with, having not allowed
himself to be dictated to by anyone
since assuming office like other
appointees of the government.
It was learnt that in a bid to sweep
off Jega from his seat without
raising any dust, he would be asked
to comply with the civil service
procedure by proceeding on his
three months terminal leave with
effect from March 1, this year since
he is expected to retire on June 13.
S-West gov’s brother may replace
Jega
Vanguard gathered that in his
place, the Presidency was
considering bringing in another
academic from the South-West, who
is currently heading a tertiary
institution in the country.
The professor of Political Science
and International Relations is said
to be a sibling of a serving
governor in the South-West, who is
a close ally of President Goodluck
Jonathan and his party.
Competent sources also told
Vanguard last night that although
the name of the academic had been
made known in security circles, it
was not clear whether the man had
been cleared by the forces with a
view to sending his name to the
National Assembly for possible
confirmation, as required by law.
Working against Jonathan’s interest
As a prelude to removing Jega from
office, some close allies of the
President had started accusing him
of taking side with the opposition
to undermine the success of
Jonathan and his party in the next
election.
Earlier last week, Jonathan’s
godfather, Chief Edwin Clark and
other prominent politicians from
the Southern part of the country
had accused Jega of working
against the interest of the president
and the PDP and asked him to
resign from the commission.
Although no evidence was adduced
by Clark and his group to support
their allegation, they nonetheless
called for the arrest of Jega.
Similarly, Senior Special Assistant
to the President on Public Affairs,
Dr. Doyin Okupe, on Saturday, said
Jega had lied about the state of the
commission’s preparedness for the
conduct of the election.
In the same vein, the National
Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr.
Olisa Metuh, accused INEC of
working with the opposition to
deny its members of permanent
voter cards in some states. He
called on the security agents to
probe the commission over the
development.
Source: Vanguard
