**2015 ELECTION** Elections Must Hold in the North - Why did Atiku Insist?

 

**the security challenges in the North were insufficient to create such a possibility that election will not be held in the region.
**the entire North is peaceful, except for two states. **I fault any move to limit the contestants of the PDP presidential slot in 2015 to only President Jonathan.

 Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar said yesterday at the Government House, Kano that the 2015 general elections must hold in the North and across the country. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the weekend expressed fears that polls may not hold in the North as a result of security challenges brought about by Boko Haram.

Atiku was reacting to a report credited to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega and the Resident Commissioner for Cross River State, Mr. Mike Igini. The latter spoke to Sunday Sun at the weekend. Atiku pointed out that it was a very wrong statement, adding that the security challenges in the North were insufficient to create such a possibility that would undermine the exercise in the region.

According to him, “the entire North is peaceful, except for two states. I think it is a very inaccurate statement to make and certainly not from quarters such as INEC” He said that from all indications, there would be elections in all parts of the country in 2015 .

Atiku also spoke on the allegation that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was behind the registration of the phantom African Peoples Congress (APC) with the INEC, saying that such an accusation was unfounded and unsubstantiated. He said that he had conducted a private investigation over the allegation, regretting that from his findings, the PDP was not behind the registration of APC, which shared the same acronym with the All Progressive Congress (APC).

Atiku also faulted any move to limit the contestants of the PDP presidential slot in 2015 to only President Goodluck Jonathan, saying such a move was strange to the PDP’s Constitution.

He said that nobody should bar any interested party member from aspiring and contesting the presidential primaries while noting that he was very sure that any amendment to the constitution, in the light of the suggestion, was bound to fail. - sun news