INEC, security chiefs make plans for elections

Representatives of the nation's security agencies on Monday met with
the Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman, Attahiru Jega,
over preparations for the rescheduled general elections.
A source gathered that the meeting specifically assessed the security
situations in the North-East in view of recent successes recorded by
the military against the insurgents.
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It was learnt that the meeting, which came under the aegis of the
Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, emphasised
the need for a strong military presence, particularly in the
North-East, during the elections.
The military had recently said that it had librated many communities,
in the North-East, including Baga and Mubi, from Boko Haram.
The. A source gathered from a senior security official at the meeting
that "security agencies argued in favour of deployment of the military
for the elections."
The official added, "They said the recent threat by Boko Haram
leader, Abubakar Shekau, should not be taken lightly.
"Besides, there have been suicide bombings in Yobe and only the
presence of soldiers can allay fears of voters. Even residents of
Maiduguri, Borno State, have been applauding the latest development.
How do you tell soldiers to leave during elections."
The legality of deploying soldiers for the elections has pitted the
All Progressives Congress against the ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, had on Thursday said President
Goodluck Jonathan would deploy soldiers during the elections, but the
APC insisted that two courts had barred the military from being part
of the exercise.
Investigations by a source showed that the meeting which held at the
INEC office looked into ways the government could assist displaced
persons to return to their towns so that they could be a part of the
elections.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the INEC Chairman,
Kayode Idowu, declined to give details of the meeting which he
described as operational.
He said, "The agenda was routine technical evaluation and planning for
elections.
"The meeting of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election
Security is a routine operational platform that deliberates on
technical (not policy) aspects of security provisioning for elections.
It was not personally attended by the National Security Adviser (Sambo
Dasuki), though his office co-chairs the committee with the INEC
Chairman."
The Defence Headquarters, Army, Air Force, Department of State
Services as well as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps are
represented in the committee. They also sent representatives to the
meeting.
INEC had on February 7, shifted the general elections from February 14
and 28 to March 28 and April 11.
Its chairman said the postponement followed reports by Dasuki
and the service chiefs that their agencies would not be able to
guarantee security of INEC personnel in some parts of the country.
Meanwhile, immediate-past National Youth Service Corps members will
still be engaged for election duties.
Idowu said despite not being under the NYSC any longer, INEC
remained disposed to engaging them owing to the election training they
underwent.
He said the NYSC had earlier "kept these people in camps because of
the elections. But now that there is a shift, there is no basis for
you to keep on holding them in camps.
"Yes, they kept them in camp for INEC because of the elections and
when elections are rescheduled, you can't hold them in camps for six
week.
"The corps members themselves, as many as have been trained and are
available to take up the job for which they have been trained, they
would still be there. Those that were trained and have passed out, as
many as they are there, they would still be engaged. They have been
trained for the job."
Asked of the implication of engaging the discharged corps members
since they are no longer under the scheme, he said, "They are the same
people who were recently in the NYSC. The only difference is that
because of the time of the rescheduling, they are no longer in the
camps of the NYSC."
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