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Nigerian Electoral Commission, Political Parties Agree to Push Back Election
Date

   Chinedu Offor | Washington DC 22 September 2010

   Nigeriaâs  political  parties  and the Independent National Electoral
   Commission (INEC) have agreed to shift the general elections to April
   2011.  They  met  Tuesday  (9/21/10) night in Abuja and agreed itâs no
   longer feasible to hold the election in January, as scheduled.

   Earlier, INEC officials asked for more time to ensure a credible, free
   and  fair election. The parties agreed to the new date as long as the
   swearing-in date for the new president, May 29^th, still stands.

   INEC has taken a courageous step toward making the elections credible,
   says  Emma  Ezeazu,  general  secretary  of  the Alliance for Credible
   Elections, a pro-democracy group based in the capital, Abuja.

   âIt  tells  me that we have a different INEC; it tells me that we have
   an  INEC that is ready to step forward and do the right thing.  If it
   was  the  previous  INEC  they  would  say no, no, no; we canât manage
   because  they  know  the  moment will give them the opportunity to rig
   election  the  way  they  like.  So we have an INEC that is strong in
   intellectual  perspective  and social courage, so I think it is a good
   development.â

   Ezeazu  dismissed  fears  that the new date would be difficult to meet
   because of the constitutional requirement needed to make it the law of
   the land.

   âIt  is  not  a  tall  order; itâs a very simple thing and can be done
   within  one week.  What is a tall order about state assemblies taking
   a  motion,  knowing  the problems themselves, political groups knowing
   the  problems  themselves?  They can pass it within one second; itâs a
   very simple thing to do.â

   Politicians who may want to delay the process, says Ezeazu, will pay a
   huge price at the polls.

   âThey  have no option.  INEC has made it clear that they need time to
   do  a  good  job.  If [the politicians] donât rise above that, we are
   heading  to the polls and they will pay a price.  The danger it poses
   if  they  donât  rise  to  that  occasion  for  the  country  and  the
   constitutionality  of  the  process  is  very high. I donât think they
   would want to risk that process.â

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