Postponing election may return military rule —Ex-general warns

Retired senior military officers have warned against the postponement of the February general elections to avoid military takeover of the democratic administration of the country.



They warned that the "planned" postponement might lead to anarchy in the country, which, according to them, may lead to military intervention.

A former Director of Procurement in the Defence Headquarters, Brigadier-General Ayodele Ojo (retd.), in an interview with PUNCH, described the recent call made by the National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki, for the general elections to be postponed as a step towards military rule.

He warned that the suggestion by the NSA for deferment of the polls is capable of creating a constitutional crisis that can abort the nation’s democracy.

On Thursday, Dasuki stated that the postponement of next month’s elections would give INEC more time to distribute over 30 million outstanding Permanent Voter Cards to registered voters.

The NSA said rescheduling the elections would cost INEC and the Federal Government nothing, adding that, “It’s still within the law.”

However, Ojo said INEC and the Federal Government should not entertain such a suggestion.

He said, “It is a backward step to the dark days of military rule when anti-democratic forces, on the eve of the June 12, 1993 presidential poll, were able to secure a dubious injunction from an Abuja High Court restricting the National Electoral Commission from conducting the election.

“This singular act was instrumental to the annulment of the election. It is worrisome that the call, this time around, is coming from a highly placed security official of the Nigerian government. Moreover, the reason given for the postponement is untenable, to say the least.”

The former director at the DHQ added that if the call for a postponement was based on allowing would-be voters to collect their PVCs, the Federal Government could consider declaring a public holiday.

Ojo added, “What I think is required is for the Federal Government to declare Friday, February 6, 2015 as a work-free day to enable affected voters the last opportunity to collect their PVCs.

“INEC could also use that weekend before the presidential election as a dress rehearsal. This will require INEC to deploy its entire staff on that Friday and Saturday for the voters to collect their PVCs from the polling units, where they are expected to vote the following Saturday of the presidential election.

“This, I believe, will take care of this problem without resort to postponing the election, thereby creating unnecessary and avoidable crises. This suggestion by the NSA is uncalled for and must be resisted by all Nigerians in order to avoid plunging the country into self-inflicted crisis.”