The All Progressives Congress (APC) senators caucus in the national assembly says it has received information that Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), will be directed to proceed on terminal leave next week.
Speaking at a press conference at the national assembly complex in Abuja on Thursday, George Akume, former governor of Benue state and senate minority leader, who represents Benue west, said the head of service would direct Jega to proceed on terminal leave next week.
The senators condemned the attempt to remove the INEC chairman under any guise, saying his removal would be tantamount to “subversion of the system”.
“Only dishonest politicians fear Jega as chairman of INEC,” Akume said.
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“We have received information that next week Jega will be served a letter from the head of service directing him to proceed on terminal leave. We wonder why the government wants to tamper with the current arrangement of INEC.”
The APC senators argued that Jega is not a civil servant but a political appointee whose fate is governed by the constitution, and as a result not subject to civil service rules.
They alleged that the government had foisted the shifting of the elections on Nigerians, but now wants to get rid of Jega so as to install a “pliant and spineless” person who would its bidding for sinister reasons.
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“We want elections that are credible. We oppose Jega’s removal by the back door. On a daily basis, Jega is being attacked. We condemn what the government wants to do,” Akume said.
“This is the road to Golgotha. I wonder why they want to destroy this country.”
However, INEC has dismissed the APC senators’ statement that Jega will be asked to proceed on terminal leave next week.
Kayode Idowu, spokesman of the INEC chairman, who spoke to TheCable, simply said: “There is nothing like that.”
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11 comments
Its about time he leaves. Jega has set the stage for APC to rig the elections How can one explain the high rate of PVC collection is the North East and North west which is an APC stronghold. Then you have Ogun state with less than 40 percent collection rate. Something smells fish to me….
Exactly my thoughts. He betrayed Nigerians for whatever reasons and destroyed reputation that he built over the years for himself. This should serve as a warning to people that being an activist is different from actually being saddled with a responsibility like an office. We must not confuse the two. So sorry he ended up like this but ethnic and religious bigotry is like cancer.
If you are supporting the impunity May God treat your life the way and manner this government is treating Nigeria and Nigerians, may your life be like of GEJ
I do not pity you but your children and the poor ones in your family.Can’t you apply a common sense that an average Northerner has so much time to attend to issues especially politics than we in the South.We go to work in the morning back in the night,but up there it’s farming with much time for personal engagements.
Did you listen to Jega when he appeared before the senate? He said up to one million PVC’s are yet to be produced. Right? Okay, why don’t you ask him if the PVC’s were meant for the Northern states?
Aji, most of the children of these days are fun seekers without capacity to reason. Apart from time available to them who will even be more desperate to vote out this irresponsible govt but those whose lives have been ravaged by boko Haram because their govt could not protect them?
all of you that are openly supporting this atrocity of removing jega for no reason at all will cry blood in the next 4 years of pdp….dont worry and make sure you stay there
when it come to polities,no one can beat northerner PVC collection is not about inec given it to particular region than any, it about people having chance to collect it. about a mouth now can say that INEC is not on thier poling to give people pvc but we fail to go there cos of work and business now we are shouting foul to INEC.
What am sure of is d fact that a lot of PVCs are waiting for collection here in Lagos. One of our LG has sponsored d distribution at the wards and points of registration but the INEC Adhoc staff get fraustrated at the level of turn out. Sometime they record only one person coming to collect in a day or even non at all.
Do people need incentives b4 they collect their cards free of charge?
he deserved to be removed because he,s now dancing to the tune of devil,how could he attend a secret meeting with APC bigwigs in Dubai with the aim of rigging election in their favour,just because they promise him #10billion,he deserved to b shown an exit door
nonso, a reputable person doesn’t need to concern himself or herself with your post because its a mere waste of time. Unsubstantiated claims that PDP maliciously spread is what a so-called dignified person like you is holding? Na wah! PDP and its criminal activities should not try any rubbish lest the throw this country into violence because enough is enough.