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The rescheduling of the general elections hitherto fixed for this month is still generating reactions, allegations and suspicions. The latest is the the chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC) Chief John Oyegun, alleging that just three days before INEC shifted the elections, the Nigerian Military had given the electoral body an assurance of security cover.
Oyegun wonders why the same security agencies would compel INEC to shift the elections due to security reasons
Addressing a press conference at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, Oyegun said the top leadership of the armed forces, including Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh and Chief of Army Staff, Kenneth Minimah, pledegd readiness to supply security during elections at a meeting with the political parties just three days before writing to INEC to warn that they cannot guarantee security if polls go ahead as planned.
He said: “However, only 3 days later on Friday February 6, these same Service Chiefs wrote to INEC, in a letter, which by all practical purposes could be described as blackmail, saying that they would no longer be able to provide security for the elections? What happened in those 72 hours that brought about this complete volte-face?”
He also asked:“The activities of Boko Haram were clearly limited to 14 Local Governments in three States out of 774 Local Governments in 36 States and FCT. How would this then warrant the blanket postponement of elections in the entire country?
“Considering all factors building up to this postponement, it is difficult not to come to the obvious conclusion that the Military High Command is in an unholy and dangerous alliance with the ruling party, the PDP, to subvert the democratic will of the people.
“We have no doubts that the letter sent to the INEC, warning it not to proceed with the elections, emanated from the Service Chiefs’ hands of Esau and President Jonathan’s voice of Jacob,” Mr. Oyegun said.
He continued: “It is clear however, that any further postponement can only lead to a constitutional crisis. The constitution demands at least 30 days before the handover date of May 29th.
“We have strong suspicions but hope this postponement is not part of an agenda to create a constitutional crisis in the country. We are just recently recovering from the crisis precipitated by the political crisis of 1993. We cannot afford another,” he said.
According to Premium Times, the APC National Chairman also alleged that beyond the postponement, the government was planning other schemes.
His words:“We are aware of plans for worse intimidation in the days ahead. We are aware of plans to intimidate and orchestrate arrest of our leaders across the country on frivolous grounds.
“We are now aware of how PDP used intimidation and arrest to rig the last Governorship election in Ekiti State. We are aware that this is the plan of the PDP.
“But we have no doubt that Nigerians will stand up to this. We have no doubt that the international community is watching”