2015 Election Time-table: Nigerians still reacting

INEC Boss, Jega

Few days after its release, more Nigerians are still reacting to the new timetable for the 2015 general elections, which fixed Presidential and National Assembly elections for Feb. 14, 2015 and the governorship and state assemblies elections for Feb. 28, 2015.

INEC also said that governorship election in Ekiti State would hold on June 21, while Osun governorship poll slated for Aug. 9.

In Jigawa, the state Interim Organising Secretary of All Progressive Congress (APC), Ahaji Nasiru Dantiye, said that the timetable was not cost effective.

He said INEC plan to hold the elections on separate days would cost Nigeria a lot of money.
“Generally, if fixing the polls in February is within the provision of electoral law it is okay, but it would have been better when all the elections are conducted in one day”
Also reacting, the Chairman of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in the state, Alhaji Sardauna Yaro, said that he was not comfortable with the timetable.
Yaro said that he was expecting governorship election to be held before the presidential poll.
“I am not comfortable with the timetable because whichever party emerges winner in the presidential election will influence the subsequent polls,” he said
The state Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Alhaji Ali Gantsa, said the party was satisfied with the timetable.
He, however, said that power should be with the electorate who determined the victory or otherwise of contestants in any election.
In Lagos, the Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, told NAN that the release of the timetable was a welcome development.
“With the timetable, people will be more focused for the 2015 polls,” Mimiko said.
Also Speaking, a former acting National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Remi Akitoye, commended INEC for the way the elections were spaced out.
“The spacing of the timetable will give room for fair play and we believe that INEC will do a thorough job this time,” Akitoye said.
The state Chairman of PDP, Chief Tunji Shelle, said the early release of the timetable would ginger political parties to work harder.
“For us in the PDP, it is an energiser to all activities we have been putting in place ahead of the elections,” Shelle said.
In Abuja, the National Secretary, Alliance for Democracy, Rafiu Salau, has commended the release of the timetable describing it a welcome development.
Salau told NAN that the timetable would avail the nation the opportunity to have an election that would be acceptable to the people like the June 12, 1993 Presidential election.
The party scribe, however, urged the stakeholders, in electoral process, to abide by the code of conduct of election to strengthen the nation’s democracy.
He also called on the electoral agents and security organisations to be non-partisan in carrying out their duties.
A cross section of politicians in Delta have also hailed INEC for the early release of the time table
The Delta Chairman, Democratic People’s Party (DPP), Chief Tony Ezeagwu, said that the time frame would enable political parties to work hard before the elections.
“For the presidential election to come first as designed by INEC, is a very bad system.
“I say this because it will cause a bandwagon effect where all other political parties in the country will collapse into the winning party, thereby forming a one party system.
“As soon as a president emerges, every other politician will cue behind and decamp to the winning party,” he said.
He said that the ideal time would have been for the National Assembly and Houses of Assembly to come first followed by the governors and the presidency last.
Chief David Omoru, a chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, lauded INEC “for doing the right thing”.
He urged INEC to release the timetable for party congresses and primaries.
“I am convinced with this new development that INEC is ready for a free and fair election,” Omoru said.
When contacted the Interim National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said he would react after discussing with other party executives.
Similarly the National Chairman of the Labour Party, Dan Nwnyanwun, said he was yet to study the timetale and would only react after doing so.