2015 NIGERIA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IS ON VALENTINES DAY!!

The release of the 2015 election timetable caused quite a stir especially the Presidential and National Assembly elections which was fixed for February 14, Valentine's day.

Students even expressed their dissatisfaction with the date, calling on INEC to change it.

Defending the timetable, Professor Attahiru Jega, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the election timetable was informed by logical considerations and not sentiments or ulterior motives.

He said, "Nobody has put us under any pressure. We did these things rationally in terms of what we considered best for our country."

This was made known by Jega while responding to questions on the 2015 elections after a presentation at a forum at Chatham House, London, over the weekend. His presentation at the public forum which was at the instance of Africa Programme unit of the organisation was entitled ‘2015 Elections in Nigeria: Expectations and Challenges.’

On why the elections are scheduled for February as against April, he said it was meant to allow time for litigations before the commencement of new tenures, adding that the timing was in compliance with legal provisions which mandated that elections should be conducted not earlier than 150 days and not later than 30 days before the expiration of relevant tenures.

Jega however expressed confidence that the commission will spare no effort to ensure that the challenge of logistics which marred past elections is prevented in future elections, especially the Ekiti and Osun governorships.