May 29 Handover Date Too Sacred - Jonathan Tells US

 Following calls by some individuals for the postponement of the February general elections, President Goodluck Jonathan has assured all stakeholders including the United States of America that the May 29 handover date was too important to be tampered with.
Jonathan, who gave the pledge on Sunday, during a closed-door meeting he had with the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, at the State House, Marina, described the May 29 handover date as sacrosanct.
In a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, the President assured Kerry that that he was deeply committed to ensuring that the elections were free, fair and credible, Punch reports.
Jonathan promised his guest that his government would provide all resources required by the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct hitch-free elections.

President Jonathan with Kerry

The statement read: “It was a pleasure to welcome Secretary John Kerry to Nigeria. We had a candid and constructive discussion about a broad range of issues.
“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.
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“In addition, the government will provide all resources that are required by the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that the election goes smoothly.
“I also emphasised that INEC is an independent body, which makes its own decisions without any interference from the government.”
The President expressed gratitude to the US for standing with Nigeria and its people in the fight against Boko Haram, while also reaffirming his administration’s commitment to working together with the US to put an end to global terrorism.
“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.
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“I reaffirmed for Secretary Kerry 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,” he said.
President Jonathan said the Nigerian security forces have been working tirelessly and courageously to bring an end to terrorism in the country.
He said it is absolutely essential to win the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria and West Africa so as to beat back the tide of religious extremism around the world.
The National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, had some days back called for the postponement of the scheduled February general elections in the country.
In reaction, a group called the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) had described the call for postponement as an unnecessary interference in the freedom of the Independence National Electoral Commission as supported by the 1999 Constitution stating that dates for the elections can only be set by INEC.
Meanwhile, the chairman of INEC, Attahiru Jega, has rebuffed calls for the postponement of the 2015 general election, insisting that the scheduled elections will hold as planned.