You can’t sack Jega, group replies Pres. Jonathan

A group, the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room, on Thursday faulted the claim by President Goodluck Jonathan that he was vested with the power by the constitution to sack the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

President Jonathan, who made the comment during a special edition of the presidential media chat with some selected journalists on Wednesday, however, said he never said he was going to sack the incumbent INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega.



The programme was broadcast live on television.

The President was responding to questions on his level of confidence in Jega to conduct a free and fair election and speculations that he was planning to send the INEC boss, whose tenure ends on June 30, on a terminal leave before the general elections scheduled to hold on March 28 and April 11.

“I appointed him. If I feel he is not doing well, there are constitutional provisions on how to remove him, but I have not even contemplated it. I have never thought about removing the INEC Chairman, though I have the constitutional power to do so,” the President had said.

But the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, comprising lawyers and civil rights activists, said at a press conference on Thursday that though the President was vested with constitutional power to nominate persons as INEC chairman and commissioners for confirmation by the Senate, he lacked the power to sack occupants of such offices.

The group also said the President also lacked the power to compel them to proceed on pre-retirement leave.

The group’s spokesman, Clement Nwankwo, argued that the INEC, not being a civil service institution, was not subject to both the civil service rules and the control of the Head of the Service of the Federation.

Nwankwo said, “The constitution (Section 157) is very clear on the appointment of the chairman and members of INEC.”

The group also in a statement on Thursday called on the National Assembly and the judiciary to ensure that democracy was not truncated by the current government headed by President Jonathan.

It insisted that the new poll dates must not be shifted.

“We call on the security agencies that are mandated to be non-partisan to respect the rights of all Nigerians, the decisions of INEC and ensure a fair playing field for all political players. We call on all political parties to communicate clearly with their party members and supporters, that Nigeria cannot afford to postpone the elections in our collective interest and they should maintain peace and order,” the SR urged.

The coalition said it was worried that “Nigeria and its elective governance are imperilled,” adding that further electoral postponement would aggravate the damage already done to the nation’s economy.

The CSOs stated that Nigeria currently faced serious threats to its continued existence in view of the raging insurgency in the North-East, the financial crisis occasioned by the drop in crude oil prices, a “terminal threat to our democracy and acts of subversive impunity.”