Civil Society Groups Ask Military Chiefs To Resign

Civil Society groups have urged Nigeria’s military chiefs to resign after the elections postponement over security challenges was announced.

The groups insisted that the inspector general of police and military officers did not deserve to remain at their posts after admitting their inability to protect Nigerians during the polls, The Nation reports.
In the course of a meeting with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Attahiru Jega, out of 37 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), 21 rejected shifting the polls, while 16 supported the move. Jega also met with 25 civil society groups.

A participant at Jega’s meeting with the civil society groups, Prof Jibrin Ibrahim, disclosed that all Nigeria’s security bodies warned the Commission about the security situation.

According to him, the military chiefs said they were starting a special 6-week anti Boko Haram operation in the north east, adding that they would not entertain any distraction, be it the elections or any other issue.

Another group in attendance, the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, confirmed the development:
“At the meeting, INEC Chairman Prof. Attahiru Jega, confirmed that he had received a letter from the security services advising that he postpones the general elections on the grounds that the security agencies were engaged in a renewed battle against insurgency in the North-East that would require their full concentration. In the letter the Military was demanding a rescheduling of elections by at least six weeks in the first instance.

“Situation Room conveyed to INEC its disappointment with the letter from the security agencies pointing out that this amounted to the Military’s abdication of its constitutional duties to provide security to citizens and to the Commission to enable it conduct elections and appeared contrived to truncate the democratic process in Nigeria.

“Situation Room is further worried that the Military’s position also aims to blackmail and arm-twist the Election Management Body away from its constitutional guaranteed function of conducting elections. Situation Room also condemns this advisory by security agents that they cannot guarantee the security of citizens, election officials and materials during the election.”

Therefore, the group urged senior military chiefs to resign “on account of their inability to exercise their constitutional responsibility to secure lives and property at all times including during the elections”.

loading...