President Goodluck Jonathan has assured Nigerians that the forthcoming polls re-scheduled to hold on March 28 and April 11, 2015, will not be shifted again.
The president gave the assurance in Abuja during the presidential debate organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group.
He said this in his closing remarks during the debate in which 11 other presidential candidates participated.
The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari(retd.), was absent at the debate.
It is less than one week to the elections but speculation that the polls could be shifted again is still rife in the country.
When INEC was made to shift the election from February 14 and 28, 2015 to the new dates, many believed that it was orchestrated by the Presidency to afford it more time to prepare better for the elections.
But the President had earlier denied that he had a hand in the postponement.
He said during his last presidential media chat that the INEC chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, never informed him of his decision to postpone the polls after he (Jega) received a letter from the National Security Adviser, calling for six weeks postponement of the elections.
In his closing remark during the debate on Sunday, the President thanked Nigerians for showing interest in the electoral process and assured them that there would be no further cause to postpone the elections.
The president said, “Let me us this unique opportunity to thank Nigerians today for showing much interest in the electoral process and to re-assure Nigerians that elections will hold as scheduled by INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) – the presidential election and the National Assembly election on the 28th of this month (Marchh and the governorship and the state assembly election on 11th of next month (April).”
The debate, which held in two batches, saw other presidential candidates promising alternative approaches to tackling corruption, economy as well the problems in the oil, power, security and education sectors.
The four other candidates, who debated with Jonathan in the second batch, were those of the United Peoples Party, Chief Chekwas Okorie; United Democratic Party, Godson Okoye; Kowa Party, Prof. Oluremi Sonaiya, and the National Conscience Party, Martin Onovo.
Others, who earlier participated in the first batch, included, Tunde Anifowose-Kelani of the Action Alliance; Ganiyu Galadima of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria; Rafiu Salau of the Alliance for Democracy; Mani Ahmad of African Democratic Congress and Ayeni Adebayo of African Peoples Alliance.
Others are Sam Eke of Citizens Popular Party and Ambrose Owuru of Hope Democratic Party.
