Jonathan Says May 29 Hand Over Date Will Not Change, See Why

President Goodluck Jonathan has made it known that the May 29 hand over that will be held in high esteem and will not be changed. Speaking at a meeting with the United States of America, USA, Secretary of State, John Kerry. Jonathan said that the date is ‘sacrosanct’.

Jonathan also addressed the issue of the call by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Col. Sambo Dasuki, for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to postpone the election for three months to ensure the distribution of outstanding 30 million Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVCs, to their owners all over the country. According to a statement signed by Jonathan, the Federal Government said it will provide all the necessary resources for the elections to hold without hassles. Jonathan also said that “Nigeria is strongly committed to building the multinational task force to fight Boko Haram in partnership with Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Benin Republic under the auspices of the Lake Chad Basin Commission.” “Nigeria is a vibrant democracy and the largest trading partner of the US in Africa, with more than $18 billion in bilateral trade. Our countries and peoples share a mutual admiration for each other and a deep commitment to freedom, democracy and human rights.
“This is why we are together engaged in a struggle against a common enemy that promotes terror, fear, division, and violates human rights, most especially of women and girls, with complete impunity,” the statement read. GEJ also spoke on the issue of Boko Haram and the help of the United States in tackling insurgency in Nigeria. He said, “We are grateful to the US for standing with Nigeria and its people in our fight against Boko Haram. I reaffirmed our strong commitment to working together with the United States to put an end to global terrorism and particularly Boko Haram. Nigeria will also work to deepen and consolidate our bilateral relationship with the United States. “I emphasized to Secretary Kerry that I am deeply committed to ensuring that our forthcoming election is free, fair, and credible. It is especially critical that all political parties abide by the Abuja Accord, which commits each to non-violence before, during, and after the election. “I made it absolutely clear that the May 29 handover date is sacrosanct. In addition, the government will provide all resources that are required by the INEC to ensure that the election goes smoothly. “I also emphasized that INEC is an independent body, which makes its own decisions without any interference from the government,” he added.