I don’t think elections will be postponed again, President says

monjola sotubo

March 3, 2015 2:30 PM

Jonathan said further that he believes the elections will be conducted on March 28 and April 11 as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

President Goodluck Jonathan has said that he doesn’t think Nigeria’s general elections will be postponed again.

Jonathan said further that he believes the elections will be conducted on March 28 and April 11 as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The President stated this during an interview with Al-Jazeera’s Yvonne Ndege.

The elections were originally scheduled to hold on February 14 and 28 but were postponed by INEC due to security concerns.

"I don't think so. I believe the elections will be conducted as scheduled by INEC, that is National elections on the 28th of this month,” Jonathan said when asked if the elections would be postponed again.

“I don't see why we should postpone again because I am quite impressed with the successes going on in the north,” he added.

The President also spoke further on the reason for the initial postponement.

“There is a misunderstanding about the postponement. In 2011 we conducted elections in Nigeria, we had Boko Haram. The fact is that within this period, somehow the level of Boko Haram within this period was quite serious and from all indications and from the signals the security agencies got, people are trying to use them disrupt the elections,” Jonathan said.

“In 2011 there was no such signals and if you disrupt the elections in a number of states especially for the presidential elections, it will affect declaration of results. So the security services don't want to take any chances. They did not tell Nigerians that they must route Boko Haram 100% before the elections could be conducted but they want to degrade Boko Haram to the extent that they would no longer have the kind of strength that they would come out and disrupt the elections. That is the key thing,” Jonathan added.

INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega announced the postponement of the polls on February 7, saying that the relevant security agencies had informed him that they would be too occupied with the fight against Boko Haram to provide security for the elections.

Watch the interview below:

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