Security Council Gives Condition For Elections To Hold In N/East

According to a report by Daily Trust, People of the troubled zone of North-east will exercise their voting rights in the coming elections only when all the structures of government and governance there are reinstated.

This is coming as a result of the meeting held yesterday at the presidential Villa in Abuja yesterday which lasted several hours. The meeting has the INEC chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega and other security chiefs in attendant.

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, briefed the council on the readiness of his commission for the elections. Jega, who left the Presidential Villa before the meeting ended, simply told State House journalists that the meeting went well. The INEC boss said: “I believe it (the meeting) went well.” Jega, however, declined comments on hiscommission's plan to use card readers during the elections.

It was also gathered that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Kenneth Tobiah Minimah, who addressed journalists after the meeting, said the people of Borno, Adamawa
and Yobe States could only vote when the structures of governance there are reinstated. Minimah, also said there was no news for now when asked on the fate of the over 200 schoolgirls of Chibok.

According to him, "You know Yobe and Adamawa States have been liberated completely and we look forward to the reinstatement of structures of government and governance. I'm also sure you know that in Borno State, out of the 27 local government areas, we have three local governments remaining: Abadam, Kalabaldi and Gwoza. And we are optimistic that with time, we will liberate those local governments".