Elections: Senators want service chiefs summoned

Some senators on Wednesday in Abuja expressed the desire for Service Chiefs to be summoned to the Senate to brief members on security issues which led to the rescheduling of the general elections.

The senators made their desire known in a session with newsmen shortly after the appearance of Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, at the senate to explain reasons for shifting the polls.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Jega had, while announcing the postponement of the elections on Feb. 8, predicated on the advice of the nation’s security chiefs.

The senators insisted that there was need for the service chiefs to assure Nigerians of their readiness to provide security for electoral officials on the new dates of the elections.

Sen. George Akume (APC-Benue) said that the leadership of the Senate still needed to invite the service chiefs to brief the lawmakers.

He hinged their demand on Jega’s inability to answer some of the questions which bothered on ensuring that the new election dates were sacrosanct.

Similarly, Sen. Bukola Saraki (APC-Kwara), who told the newsmen that Nigerians needed to be prepared for the use of the card readers during elections, insisted that the Senate should summon the service chiefs.

Saraki said that the INEC boss had repeatedly said he could not answer questions on security for the elections.

``Jega said categorically that he cannot answer that question; that we need to have the service chiefs to answer that question.

``So we are still back to that issue on security; I think that to further emphasise what we were saying yesterday, that the Senate and the National Assembly still need to invite the service chiefs to give us the assurance.

``If we keep on talking to Prof. Jega, we cannot hold him responsible for that; what we can hold him responsible for, he has givena good explanation already.

``The most important thing is holding election on that day and the only person that can answer that as he said, is that we should bring the service chiefs to answer that.

``So next week, we hope the leadership will do the right thing,” he said.

He expressed satisfaction with the preparations by INEC and the demonstration on the operation of the card reader to the lawmakers.

On his part, Sen. Ita Enang, said that INEC had cleared itself and if any challenge still remained, the Senate should take it up with the relevant agencies.

``Each person has its own duty; INEC has said that it is prepared. If we have a problem with any other agency, it is for us to interact with that agency.

``That agency will only talk to us when they have enough facts. If there are any concerns, we will have a motion and we will address the concerns,” Enang said.