J12:
Jega thinks this election is child's play. I doubt if this man is mentally sound, he doesn't understand that this year's elections are pivotal to our democratic and social progress.

His PVC distribution and collection plan is useless and stupid. I went to INEC office in Area 10 to collect my PVC this morning only to be told I can't collect it because I registered in Enugu. I can't imagine how many nigerians are like me, who registered in a different state in 2010/2011 and left their area of registration permanently thereafter but can't vote in the upcoming elections because Jega can't use his brains properly even though he is a professor.

Jega must go after 2015.

modhream:

Same way you apply for ATM card in Zenith bank,Trade fair n collect in UBA,Wuse,bah?.
You guys really give a bad name to ediots.

berem:
Elections must hold on Valentine's day whether Jonathan likes it or not!

Carry go Jega!

Marvin67:
Some salient points were made here. Would anyone want to go borno to conduct elections as it stands today? Let's be sincere. If the presidency gives his go ahead that elections should hold in just 32 states, as some people are suggesting to the president, then we're just creating an excuse for this election result to be rejected and annulled. That's when the rumour mills would say the president has always been the sponsor of insurgency.
The man has made good points. Who stands to gain and what does APC stand to lose if the elections are shifted?
I want this election to hold on the 14th, but I can assure you that if it holds, people already have legal reasons to call for it's annulment. If it holds, there's a high possibility that it would be annuled.

Obiagelli:
Why is this government so scared of elections? This problems didn't stop you from holding elections in ekiti and osun

MsNas:
So, they did not realize that before fixing that date for the polls? These people are a joke. I might be wrong, but I am of the opinion that proper logistics and analysis would have been done before fixing a date. All parties concerned would have to sign of on the date and adequate preparation towards the success would have started since then.

All these delay tactics is just pathetic and insane. Is it now that they realized that conducting the elections on February 14 (Literally, few days away) "will throw the country into turmoil and confusion.” as they said? Jeez. That country is a joke! A huge one at that. SMH.

jeffmyson:


This kind of comments are not good! Who are those that will be violent? Where will the violence take place? Who are the targets and what is the reason for the violence?

Mr. Man! Stop preaching violence and making threats of it! It will do no one good if there is violence! Please for Goodness sake let be mature for ounce in this country!

J12:


Honestly, you are the daft one here.

INEC has the sole responsibility of sensitizing and informing eligible voters of the status of the TVC's and PVS. Technology has made it extremely easy to achieve this.

So if I registered as a voter in lets say, in an insurgency infested area like Baga in 2010/2011 and left, you expect me to go back to Baga and collect my PVC?

Why can't INEC have a centralised and publicly accessible database where users can check the status of their cards. INEC is not the NPC or NIMC, their activities are continuous and important.

J12:
Jega thinks this election is child's play. I doubt if this man is mentally sound, he doesn't understand that this year's elections are pivotal to our democratic and social progress.

His PVC distribution and collection plan is useless and stupid. I went to INEC office in Area 10 to collect my PVC this morning only to be told I can't collect it because I registered in Enugu. I can't imagine how many nigerians are like me, who registered in a different state in 2010/2011 and left their area of registration permanently thereafter but can't vote in the upcoming elections because Jega can't use his brains properly even though he is a professor.

Jega must go after 2015.

addendum

INEC has the sole responsibility of sensitizing and informing eligible voters of the status of the TVC's and PVS. Technology has made it extremely easy to achieve this.

So if I registered as a voter in lets say, in an insurgency infested area like Baga in 2010/2011 and left, you expect me to go back to Baga and collect my PVC?

Why can't INEC have a centralised and publicly accessible database where users can check the status of their cards. INEC is not the NPC or NIMC, their activities are continuous and important.

berem:
Elections must hold on Valentine's day whether Jonathan likes it or not!

Carry go Jega!

hedonistic:


Well said. I also find it ridiculous that even with a PVC, one cannot vote at any polling booth closest to you nationwide. You can only vote in the ward you registered! and collected your voter's card.

So if I have relocated from the area or state that I registered, my PVC is useless on Election day since I wouldn't be allowed to use it in my new location. I need some clarification in this regard.

SweetJoystick:

Smh Abeg dey try reason, you just exhibiting how dumb you are and rarely reason before speaking. When did a physical item become electronically accessible? Bank accounts are electronic, and can be accessed anywhere where the bank system is available for access. How do you expect INEC to know you have changed address? Are they witches or wizards, if one needs his/her PVC and has relocated, he/she should do the needful and apply for a transfer of voters card

tbaba1234:


When will Borno be secure? Do we postpone elections for 2 years, if that is how long it takes? Let us be factual, The security situation in Borno does not allow for elections and might not for months to come.

What do you suggest should be done?

PhockPhockMan:




"We also wish to recollect that in 2003, 2007, and 2011 the elections were held in April, and the hand over date was not affected.

“We therefore challenge the opposition to tell Nigerians in clear terms, what dangers the change of date from February 14th portends to the electoral process or to the Nigerian electorate. It will also be good if the opposition tells us who stands to benefit or be disadvantaged from any shifting of date and how.”


Okupe

Justbright:

The Presidency on Friday listed some of the reasons it feels that going ahead with the February dates for the general elections as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission can “throw the country into turmoil and confusion.”

It however said President Goodluck Jonathan would not engage in any form of subterfuge to pressurise INEC to change the dates of the elections.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, stated these in Abuja at a press conference called to clarify the outcome of the Council of State meeting held on Thursday.

Okupe said there was no time during the meeting held inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when the chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, insisted on the February dates as quoted by some media reports.

He listed the level of preparedness of the electoral body and security situation in some parts of the country as some of the reasons why it will be wise to revisit the February dates.

On preparation, Okupe said in all INEC’s submissions at the meeting, the only process that was 100% concluded was the preparation and availability of the voters register.

He claimed that all other processes including provision, distribution and collection of PVCs, printing of ballot papers, distribution of verification machines and other non –sensitive materials, recruitment and training of ad hoc staff are all “work in progress.”

He added that Jega himself admitted that given a little more time, INEC would be in a better position to perfect the processes and its readiness for the elections.

He said, “Also in his presentations to the Council, the INEC Chairman, stated clearly that for the electoral process to be free, fair, and credible,  there are other matters which were not under the control of INEC, principal among which is the issue of provision and guarantee of security of lives and properties.

“The Security Chiefs were unanimous in their advice to the Council that it will be impossible for now for them to guarantee security of electoral materials, INEC Staff, and the voting population in the areas currently engulfed by the war against insurgency.”

Okupe said while some opinions were proffered that elections could be allowed to hold on February 14 in 32 states not affected by insurgency, Jonathan made it clear that he would not allow an election where some people will be excluded for no fault of theirs.

He quoted the President as further saying that endorsing such would tend to confirm the falsehood already being propagated in some parts of the country that he was encouraging the war in the North East to ensure that voters in the APC states were not allowed to vote in the 2015 elections.

He added, “For the avoidance of doubt, Nigerians are hereby re-assured that there has never been, and never shall be any plan to cancel the 2015 elections, for any reasons whatsoever. It will not happen, and the May 29th date for the swearing-in is sacrosanct. All talks about interim government arrangement is pure fiction.

“The consideration behind the possibility of change of date is to allow those who may be disfranchised from voting on the 14th February to have an opportunity to exercise their lawful rights to vote and participate in the general elections.

“The new wave of successes being recorded by the Military in the War against insurgency, especially with the arrival of new effective combatant equipment and machinery, plus the newly revamped cross border co-operation with Niger, Chad and Cameroonian Military, offer a very genuine hope that in a very short while, the situation in the affected states will be brought under such reasonable control that will guarantee safety of the electoral process and electorate in the war front region of the North–East at a no distant future.

“We repeat that the only set of people who stand to benefit from a shift in election dates are Nigerians who desire to vote and have not been able to collect their Permanent Voters Cards and other innocent citizens living in the war zone who may not be able to vote on the 14th February.

“We also wish to recollect that in 2003, 2007, and 2011 the elections were held in April, and the hand over date was not affected.

“We therefore challenge the opposition to tell Nigerians in clear terms, what dangers the change of date from February 14th portends to the electoral process or to the Nigerian electorate. It will also be good if the opposition tells us who stands to benefit or be disadvantaged from any shifting of date and how.”

Okupe, while saying that INEC was not fully ready for the elections, dared the commission to direct its Resident Electoral Commissioners to swear to an affidavit to prove their readiness for the polls.

“It will be very re-assuring if the INEC can get its RECs to attach their state of readiness to a sworn affidavit and show it to Nigerians.

“The interest of this government is to ensure that we do not have a rancorous and poorly conducted general elections that will throw the country into turmoil and confusion with the likelihood of an unnecessary internal and external rejection and condemnation,” he said.

Okupe claimed that in Sokoto State, nine local government areas are yet to receive PVC for the continuous voters registration, barely nine days to the election.

He also claimed that the majority of the 960,000 ad hoc staff needed by the commission are yet to be recruited and trained especially on the operations of card readers that are yet to be made available.

He added that Lagos State is yet to receive a balance of about 12,000 card readers for elections


Presidency lists grouse with February polls date
Via Top 20 News Websites.
http://www.punchng.com/news/presidency-lists-grouse-with-february-po

Obiagelli:
Why is this government so scared of elections? This problems didn't stop you from holding elections in ekiti and osun

Marvin67:


INEC has until the end of March to conduct the elections. If you follow the news, you'd agree with me that most recently, the Army plus Chadian and Cameroonian troops have been gaining grounds against the BH insurgents. We I think should be done, is to shift it like two weeks ahead. Let's see who would have an excuse to complain after he's defeated. The truth is, with this present situation on ground, if the elections goes ahead next week as planned without those 3 troubled states, It would only create reasons for whoever loses to reject the results, thereby plunging us into crises, thereby leading to the annulment. We are sitting on a time bomb, let's think about these things from non partisan angles.

barcanista:
This has been their plan ever since? What a fraudulent government

ARES:


its ok..... i wont resort to name calling with a kid. GEJ win or GMB win, it has absolutely no effect on me or my status. everytime i speak to you so called youths in Nigeria, you all amaze me in a very negative way.

let me educate you a little about centralized data bank.
Because you have a unique finger pint and face structure, dont you think it will be possible that you relocate from Enugu to abj and when you want to pick up your PVC, you give your name, and put in your finger print, that way Inec can print out a new one for you and automatically send a message to void your card in Enugu

Is this really that hard to phantom. but like i said earlier, GEJ or GMB win or lose, get hit by a bus or wins the lottery, it has no effect on me.

you kids need to enter the 21st century..... it has been running for almost 15 years now

sleekymag:


It seems APC as a party thinks it's supporters who are high on the "CHANGE" mantra now would have been cured of their hangover and won't be as optimistic about voting for Buhari again as they seem to be now. APC is scared. Plus having to fork out money for all the media campaign propaganda for another 'maybe one and half months' would do more damage to its financiers pockets, which may not be as deep as GEJ's 21 billion campaign war-chest. Furthermore not holding elections in Febuhari and taking it to March may mean "Maul-Buhari', or April, known as the month Buhari lost all previous elections (2003, 2007, 2011). I think i understand why APC supporters are scared. Lol!

Marvin67:


INEC has until the end of March to conduct the elections. If you follow the news, you'd agree with me that most recently, the Army plus Chadian and Cameroonian troops have been gaining grounds against the BH insurgents. We I think should be done, is to shift it like two weeks ahead. Let's see who would have an excuse to complain after he's defeated. The truth is, with this present situation on ground, if the elections goes ahead next week as planned without those 3 troubled states, It would only create reasons for whoever loses to reject the results, thereby plunging us into crises, thereby leading to the annulment. We are sitting on a time bomb, let's think about these things from non partisan angles.

barcanista:
This has been their plan ever since? What a fraudulent government

ARES:


dude do you have any idea that you live in 2015. why dont you go back to where you open your bank account to withdraw money..... when people are told to embrace technology they resort to name calling

J12:
Jega thinks this election is child's play. I doubt if this man is mentally sound, he doesn't understand that this year's elections are pivotal to our democratic and social progress.

His PVC distribution and collection plan is useless and stupid. I went to INEC office in Area 10 to collect my PVC this morning only to be told I can't collect it because I registered in Enugu. I can't imagine how many nigerians are like me, who registered in a different state in 2010/2011 and left their area of registration permanently thereafter but can't vote in the upcoming elections because Jega can't use his brains properly even though he is a professor.

Jega must go after 2015.

addendum

INEC has the sole responsibility of sensitizing and informing eligible voters of the status of the TVC's and PVS. Technology has made it extremely easy to achieve this.

So if I registered as a voter in lets say, in an insurgency infested area like Baga in 2010/2011 and left, you expect me to go back to Baga and collect my PVC?

Why can't INEC have a centralised and publicly accessible database where users can check the status of their cards. INEC is not the NPC or NIMC, their activities are continuous and important.