The House of Representatives has passed a resolution against any plan to remove the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Prof Attahiru Jega ahead of the general election on March 28.
The House also warned President Goodluck Jonathan against such moved which it said could derail the nation’s democracy. It resolved to subject anyone involved in moves to remove Jega to judicial prosecution in Nigeria or at the International Criminal Court, ICC.
The House resolution that was pushed through by the All Progressives Congress, APC, majority was despite strong objections by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, caucus in the chamber.
The House resolution came as Speaker Aminu Tambuwal told a civil rights group that any premature removal of Jega could derail the country’s democracy.
The motion to sanction anyone involved in the alleged plot to prematurely nudge Jega out from the country’s election management body was brought to the House floor by Rep. Ali Ahmed (APC,Kwara).
Moving the motion titled: “Threat to further tamper with the status quo arrangement for the 2015 general elections”, Ahmed noted that “the initial postponement of the general elections for the six weeks due to the security concerns related to the Boko Haram insurgency has further heightened the tempo for pre-election violence.”
He stated that there were already threats and insinuations about further alterations to the status quo arrangements and regulations for the elections, arguing that “any alteration in the status quo arrangements in whatever form at this crucial stage would invariably lead to further postponement of the dates of the elections”.
According to him, the “threat to tamper with the status quo may take several forms including but not limited to illegal removal of the current INEC chairman”.
He further submitted that “there is already documented evidence from several sources that any change in status quo arrangements, especially removal of the INEC chairman, “presents a possibility of violence” and would occasion the sowing of seeds of major crises”.
Ahmed reminded the House that civil society organizations and some notable Nigerians have already sounded “a note of warning”, and threatened a “showdown” should the Federal Government go ahead to remove Jega.
Quoting Section 157(1) of the 1999 Constitution, he said that Jega could only be removed from office on only two grounds based on “his inability to discharge the functions of the office or for misconduct as determined by two-thirds majority of the Senate”.
