A crucial meeting with likely implications for the forthcoming general elections, scheduled to hold on March 28 and April 11, is currently underway at the presidential villa, Abuja.
President Goodluck Jonathan, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, and chiefs of all security and intelligence services are attending the meeting, which started around 11am.
An INEC source said there will be a “definite pronouncement” about the elections after the meeting.
The meeting holds amid anxiety that the Peoples Democratic Party-controlled federal government may have concluded plans to sack Mr. Jega ahead of the elections. Different groups supporting Mr. Jonathan’s re-election bid have passed vote of no confidence on the INEC boss and called for his removal.
The latest of such anti-Jega protests was on Monday, by members of the Odua Peoples Congress in Lagos.
Mr. Jega is expected to brief the meeting on the preparations for the elections.
Also, security and intelligence services chiefs are billed to give update on the success recorded in the ongoing war against Boko Haram terrorism as well as preparations for the elections.
The general elections, earlier scheduled to start February 14, were pushed back by six weeks, over security concerns, after the security chiefs warned that they could not guarantee security during the elections.
The meeting has in attendance Vice President Namadi Sambo; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Pius Anyim; Chief of Staff to the President, Jones Arogbofa; National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki; Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh; Chief of Army Staff, Kenneth Minimah; Chief of Naval Staff, Usman Jibrin; Chief of Air Staff, Adesola Amosu; Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba.
Others in attendance are the Attorney-General of the Federation, Muhammed Adoke; Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan; Minister of Interior, Aba Moro; and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aminu Wali, as well as the heads of the Department of State Security and the National Intelligence Agency.
Source: Premium Times
