Govt. May Shift Elections By Six Weeks

Citing the need to defuse the rising tension in the land, among other reasons, the Federal Govern­ ment is set to shift the coming polls by six weeks, the Daily Times has learnt.

The presidential and National Assembly elections are currently scheduled for February 14, while those of the states will hold on February 28. Daily Times authoritatively learnt that under the new proposal, the elections may now hold at the end of March.

The proposed change is hinged on the mounting tension in the country sequel to violent displays at some of the ongoing campaigns across the country. The feeling inside government circles is that there is need to let the tension, which is nearing boiling point in the country at the moment, come down before the election could hold, otherwise there could be an implosion. Sources say that within the six weeks, efforts will be made to calm frayed nerves and encourage more people to embrace peace.

It is feared that the presidential election in particu­ lar may lead to an implosion in the country. The body language in the North suggests a possible repeat of the bloodletting that occurred after Jona­ than was declared winner of the 2011 election, if the incumbent wins again.

It is also feared that a similar turmoil may erupt, especially in the South South, if General Muhammadu Buhari of the All progressives Congress (APC) wins the election. Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an Ijaw from the South South area of the country. Besides, there is uncertainty over whether the elections could validly hold in the North Eastern states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa which have been wracked by the Boko Haram insurgency. There are security concerns over the safety of full- time and ad-hoc staff of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) during the polls.