2015 Polls: Leave INEC Alone!

As Nigeria draws closer to the 2015 Gen
eral Elections, a number of issues driving public discourse, especially as it concerns some issues affecting the elections are becoming increasingly disturbing and capable of scuttling efforts at conducting free, fair and credible elections this year.
Barely weeks after the elections were shifted, some persons have been bandying empty and unnecessary excuses and bogus allegations to create the impression that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and indeed, Nigeria was not ready for the elections.
These political apologists have also picked holes in the planned use of  Card Readers for accreditation of voters to check impersonation and rigging during the elections. Some of them have also been pushing for INEC to allow registered voters who have not collected their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to vote  with their Temporary Voter Cards.
To sufficiently distract the process, some persons  have intensified clandestine moves and campaign for the Chairman of the election umpire, Prof Attahiru Jega, to either resign or be sacked by the Presidency. In fact, in what looks like a desperate attempt they are alleged to have mooted the idea of  the formation of Interim National Government, an alien institution to the country’s Constitution.
The Tide thinks that persons generating these  issues are only attempting to distract INEC, and frustrate the conduct of  free, fair and acceptable elections on March 28 and April 11. We say so because if not for the shift in the dates for the elections, some of the issues now being bandied about would have been overtaken by events.
We note very clearly that  the reasons given by INEC for the postponement of the elections on February 7, hinged basically on the need to allow the military douse the insurgency  in the North-East so as to enable Nigerians in that area to vote without fears of Boko Haram and to avail the remaining 25million Nigerians who were yet to collect their PVCs to do so.
It is therefore heartwarming  that the military has intensified land and air operations to secure the North-East ahead of the Presidential and National Assembly as well as the  Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections across the nation.
Nigerians are also happy  with reports that INEC  had issued out more than 52,275,3677.00 cards, representing about 75.94 per cent of registered voters as at February 16. Similarly, out of the 120,000 Card Readers received so from China, only about 503 are faulty. This shows  the effort by INEC to do a good job.
We, therefore, implore Nigerians, irrespective of party affiliations, to join the National Assembly, which last Tuesday gave INEC the  nod to go ahead with the elections. We expect Nigerians to take more interest in the success of the elections instead of trying to truncate it  They must seek  peace, sustainable development and good governance instead of taking undue advantage of the electioneering to play dirty.
We believe, that no Nigerian worth the name would want anything to go wrong with the rescheduled elections, because any attempt to truncate the elections may put the sanctity of May 29, in jeopardy. We feel that no sentiments, politicking, or personal interest can justify an era of uncertainty, instability and chaos that such miscalculation can throw up in Nigeria.
This is why we appeal to all the gladiators in the political landscape  to leave INEC alone, and toe the line of honour and integrity by respecting the work that INEC is doing to ensure free, fair and credible elections. Any party that is not prepared for the elections can opt out and stop acts that can frustrate the elections