Date: 2015-03-02

Governors Rauf Aregbesola and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Osun and Kwara States have described as dangerous the purported plot to remove the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega.

Aregbesola, who spoke on Sunday, said that the scheme reflected desperation on the part of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP-led Federal Government.

According to him, “It is obvious that they (PDP) are desperate. A desperate person is a dangerous person. This country is bigger than anybody.

“They have postponed elections. They are planning an interim government, they are engaging in all manners of scheming. They are showing acute desperation. With all these undemocratic and uncivil acts, they are leading Nigeria to the path of turmoil.

“The whole world must be told that they must be held responsible for whatever happens to Nigeria. Why can’t they allow the ordered election timetable to go on as planned and, through that, allow democracy to grow in our land?” Aregbesola asked.

On his part, the Kwara State governor urged President Goodluck Jonathan to consider the negative impacts which the planned removal of Jega would have on the forthcoming general elections.

He cautioned that the plot to remove Jega before dates of the elections could give the impression of attempts to undermine the transparency and credibility of the March 28 and April 11 elections.

Exchanging views with journalists in Ilorin on Sunday on the sidelines of the ongoing campaign/consultative meeting with some stakeholders in Kwara State, Ahmed said it would be plausible to allow Jega to conduct the elections whose process he had already started.

The Governor reminded the Federal Government to take into cognizance, the attention of the international community, saying that any action to remove Jega would make the general elections less credible.

Ahmed said, “The sensitivity of the role of Jega in today’s electoral process is so crucial that we cannot handle his exit with levity, especially as the current electoral process is drawing a lot of attention both locally and internationally.

“So, it is very important that we ensure that the right things are done to ensure that this electoral process is allowed to follow its course as encapsulated in the new timetable, both the umpire and the processes are allowed to go on accordingly.

“We are aware that some stakeholders are not comfortable with Jega’s preparedness for the election. We have seen how attempts have been made in picking holes with the current arrangement which has been adjudged to be better than the preparation we had in 2011.

“But be that as it may, the consequence of replacing him is like changing the rules in the middle of the game which I think will affect negatively people’s perception to the seriousness in ensuring a proper electoral process and ultimately good governance in Nigeria,” he stated.