Jonathan, In Slight Change of Tone, Maneuvering For Eight-Week Election Postponement

On Wednesday, President Jonathan reportedly forced the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, to call off a press conference he had called to announce final preparations for the election, threatening him with treason if he refused to back down.


President Goodluck Jonathan has begun a massive mobilization of a cross-section of Nigerians aimed at gaining postponement of the elections this month’s elections for eight weeks, a presidency source has told SaharaReporters.


If he succeeds, that would put the elections in April, one month before the end of his current tenure, and perhaps his presidency.

Towards gaining support for his plan, he is currently reaching out to powerful support groups, including religious leaders, politicians, traditional rulers, labor unions and opinion molders. That means that even the normally-limited work that passes for governance has taken a distant second place to his battle for political survival.

Several members of Mr. Jonathan’s kitchen cabinet are now directly engaging some of those groups, but our source confirmed that the National Security Adviser, Rtd. Col. Sambo Dasuki, who first announced the government’s intentions during a Chatham House appearance in London two weeks ago, is coordinating the outreach efforts.

Dasuki has personally spoken to several former military generals and civil society groups asking for them to support the postponement.

SaharaReporters learnt that the President has also sent a delegation to speak with one of the national leaders of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, to seek his unofficial support.

On Wednesday, President reportedly forced the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Attahiru Jega, to call off a press conference he had called to announce final preparations for the election, threatening him with treason if he refused to back down.

It would be recalled that following Dasuki’s statement in London on January 22, the electoral commission in effect called him a liar, stressing there was no operational reason to postpone the elections. KayodeIdowu, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman, said there had been no concerns expressed by the presidency about the distribution of Permanent Voters Cards, upon which the NSA based his statement.

“We have not received any official or unofficial communication to that effect,” Idowu said. “From the point of our operation, the commission has not seen any good basis to postpone the election.”

This situation confirms that the Presidency’s desire to have the election postponed is political, not operational.

A Council of State meeting is scheduled for tomorrowand the President is working to get the nation’s former leaders to endorse the eight-week postponement plan.

He will argue that the security situation in the Northeast requires that the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with troops from Chad and Cameroon, will make great progress that will enable more voters that were earlier displaced, to return home.

Our source said that President Jonathan will be making a powerful “security” argument that the army needs more time to win back more territory from BokoHaram.

Our source stated that the President and his team are overwhelmed by a variety of internal polls conducted by them that confirm that he would lose by more than 70% if the presidential election is conducted on February 14.

If Mr. Jonathan’s desperate appeal to the Council of State fails on Thursday, his team hopes to use someother means to ensure postponement of the election, our source stated.

SOURCE:http://saharareporters.com/2015/02/04/jonathan-slight-change-tone-maneuvering-eight-week-election-postponement

8weeks!

If he succeeds, that would put the elections in April, one month before the end of his current tenure, and perhaps his presidency.

OK Boss, I can see you are fast loosing it. Whom the gods want to destroy, they first make mad.

It will do you a whole lot of good to settle this matter quickly, so u can still have at least 3 months to sharperly complete ur house in Otueke.

You have been warned. Respect urself!

#ElectionMustHold
#TeamGMB2015

he shouldn't try such!!!

This Idi-Amin faced President of ours is doing everything in the books to scuttle the elections

But i have no doubt that his place in the Hall of Infamy will be sealed by that move

we say No to election postponement it seems like this clueless Man is afraid of been defeated.

we need change

ElectionMostHold.

He can do all that pleases him buh there is one thing for sure.."The fowl that runs from Nigeria to uganda will still end up in a pot of soup" if God pleases..

The only thing that can make GEJ rule us for anoda 4 yrs is if this election s postponed til 2019..which is IMPOSSIBLE

...And so I say What will happen will happen...
...GMB will take over and CHANGE things...

Election must hold on February 14. John Kerry already warned Jonathan not to do anything stu.pid.

#electionmusthold
#Ihavedecided

8weeks is too much. it should be 4weeks. 4weeks is enough.

I cannot imagine the attacks on Buhari for 8weeks !Even few weeks to the day he his still being attacked from every angle.Once a general ever a general.No shakings!

midolian:
What will happen will happen

what will happen is that Jonathan will win.

We say no to election postponement!
#SaiBuhari.

clevvermind:
what will happen is that Jonathan will win.

Because "Jonathan will win" means election must then go ahead on February 14.

clevvermind:
8weeks is too much. it should be 4weeks. 4weeks is enough.

Not even a day should be added.

olas24u:
I cannot imagine the attacks on Buhari for 8weeks !Even few weeks to the day he his still being attacked from every angle.Once a general ever a general.No shakings!

is this what they are afraid of?

No, election must hold on 14.

Pastor Adeboye Curses Pastors Collecting Bribes From Politicians



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYLaW_GpQ0c

clevvermind:
what will happen is that Jonathan will win.

u hav to change ur username..dahz not a clever post ...and u know it

This man called GEJ is really desperate and mad. Voting him in 2011 was a cumbersome mistake. Can we say we didn't put God first before we voted him? This is not good at all for democracy. This man really needs to be stopped from breathing if this election is postponed.

sincerenigerian:
Election must hold on February 14. John Kerry already warned Jonathan not to do anything stu.pid.

And who d. hell is John kerry 2 warn d president of Nigeria?

clevvermind:
is this what they are afraid of?

PDP as more plans to truncate the momentum we all know that.8weeks will be enough to propagate another big lie

MalcoImX:
Not even a day should be added.

inec should be given more time. many people have not still collected their pvc. do you want them to be disenfranchised?

Greyworld:


And who d. hell is John kerry 2 warn d president of Nigeria?

You and your "president" about to find out if you dare tamper with election date.

Lawrence Gbagbo treatment awaits Jonathan.

clevvermind:
8weeks is too much. it should be 4weeks. 4weeks is enough.

shut up jare

we ready for this election Mr. President

olas24u:


PDP as more plans to truncate the momentum we all know that.8weeks will be enough to propagate another big lie

not so. pdp is clean. they don't have that intentions.

joshjc:
shut up jare

you don dey mad?

sincerenigerian:
Election must hold on February 14. John Kerry already warned Jonathan not to do anything stu.pid.

Who is John Kerry? Is he God? Or does he have a stake in this nation

midolian:
u hav to change ur username..dahz not a clever post ...and u know it

i know you are very wrong.

clevvermind:
not so. pdp is clean. they don't have that intentions.

PDP Attacks
1. Buhari's is too old to run.
2. Buhari's daughter is too fine. Where did she GET MONEY to school in England?
3. Buhari has cancer
4. Buhari wants to Islamise Nigeria
5. Buhari will jail all of you
6. APC is Boko Haram
7. Lies against Buhari including "I will make Nigeria ungovernable", "Muslims should only vote for Muslims", "Sharia must be implemented in Nigeria
8 He his Boko Haram
9 he will die very soon
10 He killed drug dealers
11 .He jailed corrupt people

12,He should show us is O,levels

13 court

14 He his running away from debate

FeBuhari protest set 4 today, in
Abuja. This is not the time to say and not do!
Protest today 5/2/15 on NO TO
ELECTION POSTPONEMENT Venue: Unity
Fountain / Time: 7:30am

Is this the reason they are stopping foreign journalists from coming into the country for the purpose of the elections?

Jonathan has accepted defeat already.

The election must hold on the 14th of this month!