Polls postponement: Reps Demand Resignation Of Service Chiefs

Some members of the House of Representatives yesterday lamented the stand of security agencies who said they could not be available should the earlier scheduled February polls take place.

Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Professor Attahiru Jega had on Saturday night announced the postponement of the elections to March 28 and April 11 respectively, following series of meetings held with relevant stakeholders.

Although Jega said INEC was fully ready for the polls, various security agencies told him that they could not guaranty the safety of voters and INEC ad-hoc staff during the February polls and requested for six weeks to be able to be fully ready.

However, some members of the House of Representatives told DailyTrust on telephone yesterday said the reason given by the security agencies showed that they failed woefully in their responsibility having been notified of the polls about a year ago.

Rep Aliyu Sani Madaki (APC, Kano) said heads of the security agencies should resign due to what he described as their inability to carry out their primary functions.

In joining the call for the resignation of the service chiefs, chairman House committee on Justice Rep Ali Ahmad (APC, Kwara) said: “if our service chiefs can’t combine the fight against insurgency and providing support for elections, then they don’t deserve to be on Nigeria’s pay roll.”

For his part, Rep Garba Idris Abdullahi (APC, Niger) said no matter what the PDP-led government would do, Nigerians had decided that they want change, saying Jega should not be blamed for the postponement as he was under intense pressure.

House spokesman, Zakari Mohammed in a text message said the postponement was “like postponing the evil day…But change is inevitable and time can’t be a constraint.”

Rep Babangida Mahuta (APC, Katsina) lamented that although it is within INEC’s constitutional powers to reschedule the polls, “but what is unfortunate is the motive. As a member of the opposition party, we will continue to mobilise our people towards the rescheduled date.