Jonathan assures elections would hold as rescheduled

President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday doused fears of another postponement of the general election, saying the polls date would not be changed.

He stated this at the Naval Dockyard, Victoria Island, Lagos, during the commissioning of four new vessels to boost the capacity of the Nigerian Navy.

The President, who expressed satisfaction at the ongoing war against the Boko Haram sect, emphatically said the military will rout the terrorists, thereby providing conducive atmosphere for elections to be conducted in the northeast part of the country.

Jonathan assured Nigerians that the areas currently dominated by the terrorists will be liberated before the elections, just as he reiterated his administration’s commitment to improving the capacity of the Armed Forces.

He restated his commitment to the unity of the nation, adding that the federal government has placed premium on national security, including food security and employment generation.

According to the President, government was working in harmony with the military to ensure the nation stability.

He said: “We will rout Boko Haram. Our capacity has increased sufficiently and officers and men are doing wonderfully well. The ongoing activities to contain the sect will also provide conducive atmosphere for elections to hold in the region.

“We will return the region to a level where activities of terrorists cannot be carried out.”