You Have No Power To Sack Jega, CSOs Tell Jonathan

ABUJA — A coalition of Civil Society Organisations, CSOs, in Nigeria, yesterday, maintained that President Goodluck Jonathan has no constitutional power or authority to remove the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, the group which is under the aegis of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, said they will attack any move to “push out” Jega as chairman of the electoral body before the forthcoming general elections.

The group said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we reiterate the fact that the President of Nigeria has no constitutional power or authority to remove the Chairman of INEC.

“INEC is not a civil service institution, it is a public institution whose actions are covered by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. So, the call for pre-retirement of Prof. Jega before the elections, will not and cannot be sustained. We as the civil society are ready to stand for that.”

In their press statement which was read yesterday by the Executive Director of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, PLAC, Mr. Clement Nwankwo, the coalition insisted that the postponement of the elections earlier scheduled for February 14 and 28, not only “evoked dark memories of past military dictatorships” but “thrown up various constitutional and political challenges that undermine and subvert our fledgling democracy.

“Since the announcement of this dubious postponement, Nigeria has effectively been in a state of suspended animation. In the last few days alone, we have seen the effect of postponed elections on our economy, our politics, our society and our collective state of emotional and psychological well-being.

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