US condemns ‘political interference with INEC’

The United States is unhappy with the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the general election, describing it as “political interference”.

John Kerry, US secretary of state, said it would be bad for the government to hide under the pretext of insecurity to impede democratic process, saying that the country has been kept under close observation.

Attahiru Jega, INEC chairman, announced on Saturday that the poll had been extended by six weeks as a result of the insurgency in the northeast.

“There are a number of issues in the preparation and conduct of an election, the most critical of which is security, which is not under the control of INEC,” he had said.

“While the commission has a very good working relationship with all security agencies, especially on the platform of the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) since its inception in 2010, it has become pertinent for it to seriously consider the security advisory presented to it by the security and intelligence services.

“Where the security services strongly advise otherwise, it would be unconscionable of the commission to deploy personnel and call voters out in such a situation.

“The commission has decided to reschedule the 2015 general elections.”

But Kerry, who met with President Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari during his visit to Nigeria last month, said the postponement was not in the best interest of the country.

“The United States is deeply disappointed by the decision to postpone Nigeria’s presidential election, which had been scheduled for February 14,” he said in a statement.

“Political interference with the Independent National Electoral Commission is unacceptable, and it is critical that the government not use security concerns as a pretext for impeding the democratic process.

“The international community will be watching closely as the Nigerian government prepares for elections on the newly scheduled dates. The United States underscores the importance of ensuring that there are no further delays.

“As I reaffirmed when I visited Lagos last month, we support a free, transparent, and credible electoral process in Nigeria and renew our calls on all candidates, their supporters, and Nigerian citizens to maintain calm and reject election-related violence.”