What’s Behind the Postponement of the Nigerian Elections?
Military recommends to INEC that polls be delayed
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Africa’s most populous state was left in political suspension with the announcement on Feb. 7 that the previously scheduled national presidential and parliamentary elections would be delayed until March 28, while the state gubernatorial and legislative polls would be pushed back until April 11.
A Nigerian newspaper, The Mirror, openly stated that “The nation’s military establishment has forced the postponement of the general elections slated for February 14 and 28, citing its inability to guarantee security nationwide.” (Feb. 8)
Military officials have said that they will begin a major offensive against the Boko Haram rebel organization on the same day that the elections were scheduled to begin. The military and security forces have come under severe criticism for their lack of a coordinated and effective response to the escalation of violence in the northeast of this West African state.
Despite the coverage by the Nigerian press that tremendous problems existed in the distribution of voter registration identification cards and other issues, many people strongly objected to the decision to change the dates. Chaotic situations have taken place within urban areas where election authorization processes were being carried out.
Concurring with the Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization Director of Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said in a statement on Feb. 7 that the nation was not prepared to hold a credible poll claiming “This is especially so, given the fact that no less than 34 percent of eligible voters have not been able to access their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) up till today- just seven days before the original date of the election. A situation where such a large percentage of our people would have been disenfranchised is unacceptable and the fact that the APC was insensitive to that fact speaks volumes.” (Sunday Vanguard, Feb. 8)
Fani-Kayode also said “We are aware that INEC is having numerous logistical problems and numerous internal challenges and we believe that the poll shift will afford them the badly-needed time to tackle and resolve those problems and challenges before we arrive at the new dates that have been fixed for the elections.”
In addition to these administrative problems, the security situation in the northeast is worsening every week. The Boko Haram armed fighters have continued to capture territory without any formidable resistance by the military and security forces.
These attacks by Boko Haram have spread to contiguous states such as Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The military forces of these states have carried out operations against the Islamic-oriented group which says that it wants to establish a “caliphate” throughout the region.
The PDP media representative Fani-Kayode said in regard to the fighting in the northeast “We believe that INEC must have drawn a useful guide from available security reports from the North-eastern zone where, despite the very serious challenges that our people are facing there from Boko Haram, we believe that elections must hold. We must insist on this in order to ensure that no parts of the country lose their right to freely, safely and peacefully participate in the coming elections and to vote for the candidates of their choice.”
These same ruling party operative said “It is against the backdrop of these developments that we commend INEC for finding the courage to do the right thing. In the same breath, we condemn the opposition APC leaders and members who are set to unleash confusion, mendacity and despondency everywhere and who are blaming everyone except themselves for the situation in which we have found ourselves.”
However, the opposition All Progressive’s Congress (APC) and many others inside the country took exception with these views. APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader during the 1980s, urged Nigerians to remain calm.
A Lagos-based lawyer likened the decision of the INEC to delay the elections as a violation of Nigerian law. ThisDay reported on Feb. 8 that “Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should have called the bluff of security chiefs and proceeded with the February 14 presidential election. In a statement, Falana also said that by saying that they would not provide security in aid of civil authorities pursuant to section 217 of the Constitution, the security chiefs have committed the offence of mutiny contrary to section 52 of the Armed Forces Act.”
African Union, Regional Intervention in Nigerian War Against Boko Haram
News reports on Feb. 7 indicated that the northeastern Nigerian-based Boko Haram armed sect has carried out an attack in neighboring Niger, further escalating the regionalization of the war. Additional reports on Feb. 9 indicated that these incursions by Boko Haram were continuing.
In a BBC article published on Feb. 9 it says “Suspected militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have hijacked a bus in northern Cameroon, abducting at least 20 people, residents say. Militants reportedly seized a bus carrying market-goers and drove it toward the border with Nigeria. Some reports put the total number kidnapped in Cameroon as high as 30.”
This report continues noting “Boko Haram has escalated its attacks outside Nigeria in recent weeks, targeting neighboring Cameroon and Niger. Over the last several months, attacks by Boko Haram and responses from the national armies of Chad, Niger and Cameroon have escalated. “
With the ascendancy of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as the chair of the African Union (AU), reports have said that he will facilitate the deployment of 7,500 troops from around the continent to assist Abuja in the efforts to defeat the rebels. These efforts will ostensibly bolster the campaigns carried out recently by the impacted West African states which are eager to contain and eradicate Boko Haram armed activities within their territories and on the borders.
International Business Times said of these recent developments that “United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his support of the African Union’s decision to send 7,500 troops to fight the insurgency of Boko Haram in Nigeria at the two-day AU Summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the Associated Press reported Saturday (Jan. 31). ‘I welcome the decision of the AU and regional countries to establish an MJTF [Multinational Joint Task Force] against Boko Haram,’ Ban told reporters in Addis Ababa, Agence France-Presse said. ‘They have committed unspeakable brutality. Those terrorists should be addressed with a regional and international cooperation. Not a single country, even the regional countries, can handle this alone,’ he said. ‘The United Nations is ready to fully cooperate with the African Union.’”
Economic Instability in Oil Producing States Enhances Sense of Crisis
Nigeria as an oil-producing country has been severely impacted by the global crisis of falling prices fostering internal instability prompting the implementation of austerity measures by the federal government. The postponement of the elections will inevitably escalate apprehension on the part of the imperialist states triggering additional problems related to foreign investment and access to bank capital.
The U.S. State Department has already issued a statement decrying the delay in the polls. Secretary of State John Kerry had recently visited Nigeria demanding that the elections not be postponed.
Nonetheless, the ultimate factor in determining the political outcome of the current situation is the people of Nigeria themselves. If the majority of the electorate accepts the reasons enunciated by the INEC and the ruling PDP for the delay, there may be a lessening of tensions.
However, if people perceive the re-scheduling of the elections as a means to prolong the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, or even more serious, facilitate the influence and power of the military, it could result in the heightening of tensions. The role of the trade union movement and civil society organizations will be significant in the entire process.
Nigeria as the most populated country with the putative largest economy on the continent, any political and security crisis in the country will have serious implications for both the West Africa region and the AU member-states as a whole. The present situation necessitates both a political and military response from Africa as a whole.
By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Africa’s most populous state was left in political suspension with the announcement on Feb. 7 that the previously scheduled national presidential and parliamentary elections would be delayed until March 28, while the state gubernatorial and legislative polls would be pushed back until April 11.
A Nigerian newspaper, The Mirror, openly stated that “The nation’s military establishment has forced the postponement of the general elections slated for February 14 and 28, citing its inability to guarantee security nationwide.” (Feb. 8)
Military officials have said that they will begin a major offensive against the Boko Haram rebel organization on the same day that the elections were scheduled to begin. The military and security forces have come under severe criticism for their lack of a coordinated and effective response to the escalation of violence in the northeast of this West African state.
Despite the coverage by the Nigerian press that tremendous problems existed in the distribution of voter registration identification cards and other issues, many people strongly objected to the decision to change the dates. Chaotic situations have taken place within urban areas where election authorization processes were being carried out.
Concurring with the Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Organization Director of Media and Publicity, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said in a statement on Feb. 7 that the nation was not prepared to hold a credible poll claiming “This is especially so, given the fact that no less than 34 percent of eligible voters have not been able to access their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) up till today- just seven days before the original date of the election. A situation where such a large percentage of our people would have been disenfranchised is unacceptable and the fact that the APC was insensitive to that fact speaks volumes.” (Sunday Vanguard, Feb. 8)
Fani-Kayode also said “We are aware that INEC is having numerous logistical problems and numerous internal challenges and we believe that the poll shift will afford them the badly-needed time to tackle and resolve those problems and challenges before we arrive at the new dates that have been fixed for the elections.”
In addition to these administrative problems, the security situation in the northeast is worsening every week. The Boko Haram armed fighters have continued to capture territory without any formidable resistance by the military and security forces.
These attacks by Boko Haram have spread to contiguous states such as Chad, Niger and Cameroon. The military forces of these states have carried out operations against the Islamic-oriented group which says that it wants to establish a “caliphate” throughout the region.
The PDP media representative Fani-Kayode said in regard to the fighting in the northeast “We believe that INEC must have drawn a useful guide from available security reports from the North-eastern zone where, despite the very serious challenges that our people are facing there from Boko Haram, we believe that elections must hold. We must insist on this in order to ensure that no parts of the country lose their right to freely, safely and peacefully participate in the coming elections and to vote for the candidates of their choice.”
These same ruling party operative said “It is against the backdrop of these developments that we commend INEC for finding the courage to do the right thing. In the same breath, we condemn the opposition APC leaders and members who are set to unleash confusion, mendacity and despondency everywhere and who are blaming everyone except themselves for the situation in which we have found ourselves.”
However, the opposition All Progressive’s Congress (APC) and many others inside the country took exception with these views. APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, a former military leader during the 1980s, urged Nigerians to remain calm.
A Lagos-based lawyer likened the decision of the INEC to delay the elections as a violation of Nigerian law. ThisDay reported on Feb. 8 that “Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should have called the bluff of security chiefs and proceeded with the February 14 presidential election. In a statement, Falana also said that by saying that they would not provide security in aid of civil authorities pursuant to section 217 of the Constitution, the security chiefs have committed the offence of mutiny contrary to section 52 of the Armed Forces Act.”
African Union, Regional Intervention in Nigerian War Against Boko Haram
News reports on Feb. 7 indicated that the northeastern Nigerian-based Boko Haram armed sect has carried out an attack in neighboring Niger, further escalating the regionalization of the war. Additional reports on Feb. 9 indicated that these incursions by Boko Haram were continuing.
In a BBC article published on Feb. 9 it says “Suspected militants from Nigerian Islamist group Boko Haram have hijacked a bus in northern Cameroon, abducting at least 20 people, residents say. Militants reportedly seized a bus carrying market-goers and drove it toward the border with Nigeria. Some reports put the total number kidnapped in Cameroon as high as 30.”
This report continues noting “Boko Haram has escalated its attacks outside Nigeria in recent weeks, targeting neighboring Cameroon and Niger. Over the last several months, attacks by Boko Haram and responses from the national armies of Chad, Niger and Cameroon have escalated. “
With the ascendancy of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe as the chair of the African Union (AU), reports have said that he will facilitate the deployment of 7,500 troops from around the continent to assist Abuja in the efforts to defeat the rebels. These efforts will ostensibly bolster the campaigns carried out recently by the impacted West African states which are eager to contain and eradicate Boko Haram armed activities within their territories and on the borders.
International Business Times said of these recent developments that “United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his support of the African Union’s decision to send 7,500 troops to fight the insurgency of Boko Haram in Nigeria at the two-day AU Summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, the Associated Press reported Saturday (Jan. 31). ‘I welcome the decision of the AU and regional countries to establish an MJTF [Multinational Joint Task Force] against Boko Haram,’ Ban told reporters in Addis Ababa, Agence France-Presse said. ‘They have committed unspeakable brutality. Those terrorists should be addressed with a regional and international cooperation. Not a single country, even the regional countries, can handle this alone,’ he said. ‘The United Nations is ready to fully cooperate with the African Union.’”
Economic Instability in Oil Producing States Enhances Sense of Crisis
Nigeria as an oil-producing country has been severely impacted by the global crisis of falling prices fostering internal instability prompting the implementation of austerity measures by the federal government. The postponement of the elections will inevitably escalate apprehension on the part of the imperialist states triggering additional problems related to foreign investment and access to bank capital.
The U.S. State Department has already issued a statement decrying the delay in the polls. Secretary of State John Kerry had recently visited Nigeria demanding that the elections not be postponed.
Nonetheless, the ultimate factor in determining the political outcome of the current situation is the people of Nigeria themselves. If the majority of the electorate accepts the reasons enunciated by the INEC and the ruling PDP for the delay, there may be a lessening of tensions.
However, if people perceive the re-scheduling of the elections as a means to prolong the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, or even more serious, facilitate the influence and power of the military, it could result in the heightening of tensions. The role of the trade union movement and civil society organizations will be significant in the entire process.
Nigeria as the most populated country with the putative largest economy on the continent, any political and security crisis in the country will have serious implications for both the West Africa region and the AU member-states as a whole. The present situation necessitates both a political and military response from Africa as a whole.
No comments:
Post a Comment