President Goodluck
Jonathan has reassured Nigerians and the international community that he has no
plan to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru
Jega, ahead of Nigeria’s general elections slated for March 28 and April 11.
Mr. Jonathan’s
reassurance came amid speculation that the Federal Government, through the
office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, is plotting to send Mr.
Jega on terminal leave before the elections.
Mr. Jega’s tenure ends
in June but there are claims the administration plans to send him on a
three-month pre-disengagement leave before the election.
The speculation were
fuelled by allegations by the opposition All Progressives Congress and the
anti-Jega posturing of the Peoples Democratic Party as well as groups and
individuals rooting for Mr. Jonathan.
Last Thursday,
senators of the APC, led by George Akume, said they had reliable Intelligence
that Mr. Jega would be asked to proceed on pre-retirement leave this week
through a letter that would emanate from the office of the Head of Service of
the Federation.
But speaking on Monday
in an interview with Aljazeera, Mr. Jonathan dispelled the speculation.
The president said
INEC is a sensitive and important institution and that removing its chairman
arbitrarily would spark public outcry.
“Except somebody is
insinuating that the Chairman has done something wrong. You cannot change an
officer, except the person has done something wrong,” Mr. Jonathan said in
response to a question on Mr. Jega.
He continued,
“Government, whether at the federal or state level, president or governor, does
not wake up and change somebody, especially somebody like the INEC Chairman,
except that person has done something wrong.
“INEC is a very
sensitive body. For me to change INEC Chairman Nigerians will ask questions.
So, you cannot wake up and change INEC Chairman.”
He added that he had
never discussed with “any human being on earth about changing INEC Chairman”.
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