Fani Kayode Indicts Obasanjo Of Rumour Peddling

The Media Director of President Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, has accused Olusegun Obasanjo of peddling false information as regards the postponement of the February 14 election.

Fani Kayode according to Channels TV, tackled Obasanjo while reacting to accusations by the former president that President Jonathan forced the Independent National Electoral Commision  (INEC) to Postpone the election.

He said: “President Obasanjo has got his facts wrong.  “It is not the Government of President Jonathan that changed the dates of the election or postponed it. It was INEC, everybody knows this.

“It goes to show that perhaps the former president did not fully understand the rationale behind this decision.“President Obasanjo has got his facts wrong,

“The reasons that INEC adduced to that are reasons I believe are justifiable and there were also other reasons; PVCs and so on and so forth, whereby 34% of Nigerian people would have been disenfranchised, if that election had gone on today.

“So I think it was the right and proper thing for INEC to postpone the elections,” Fani-Kayode said, adding that his team would still respond to Obasanjo’s allegations at the appropriate time.”

As regards the security situation that necessitated the poll shift, he said:  “This is a decision that was made by the military themselves and they have given that assessment and said that in six weeks they would be able to do more than enough to be able to create the necessary stability in the north-east.

“It wasn’t just about getting rid of the unrest or the insurgency and the rebellion in the north-east, it was also about ensuring that we have enough troops on ground throughout the rest of Nigeria so that those soldiers could help the Police to ensure that there is no violence during the elections.

Fani Kayode also debunked rumours that President Jonathan was looking for a replacement  for INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega.


In a related development, the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) has also reacted to allegations by the ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) that it was deliberately preventing valid voters in certain sections of the country from getting their Permanent Voter Cards.

The Chief Press Secretary to the INEC chairman Kayode Idowu, debunked the allegations, saying the PDP should validate its claims by providing proof.



NAIJ.COM