Those who masterminded the postponement of the 2015 general elections, regardless of the opposition from the All Progressives Congress and many Nigerians, are;
– The incumbent President/presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr Goodluck Jonathan – The National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki
– The Chiefs of Defence, Army, Naval and Air Staff, among others
The Sunday Punch Reported that two weeks ago, Dasuki, while speaking at a forum at the Chatham House in London, asked INEC to postpone the elections, saying the shift would allow for proper preparations and distribution of PVCs by the electoral body.
Reacting to Dasuki's call, the United States had on January 25, 2015, advised Nigeria against postponing the elections.
However, the military chiefs wrote to Jega, informing him of the security implication of holding the elections in February as earlier scheduled. This, it was learnt, was part of what influenced shifting of the polls.
Prof. Jega was said to have on Saturday told the leaders of the parties, his officers and the civil society groups that the commission was ready for the election as planned, but that he was worried because of the claim by the security agencies that they would not be able to protect members of the staff of the commission and the electorates.
Sixteen political parties led by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party were said to have favoured the shifting of the elections, while nine others led by the opposition All Progressives Congress were against the move.
The Council of State had on Thursday rose from a seven-hour meeting, advising the INEC to conduct the elections.
Same Thursday, Jonathan's supporters under the aegis of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly led by Ijaw leader and ex-Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, called for the postponement of the polls.
The PDP has also repeatedly called for a shift of the polls in the past two weeks.
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