2015 Elections Might Not Hold in Troubled North-Eastern States

                           
Service Chiefs have been asked by the Nigerian Senate to ensure that the seized North-Eastern territories are recaptured from Boko Haram before the general elections in 2015.

This was said on Thursday in a meeting with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah.
The Senate Committee on Defence and Army was also worried that the elections may not hold in the troubled north eastern states in 2015 due to the terrorism there.

However, Senator George Sekibo, chairman of the committee said elections will hold if the army could recapture the territories seized by Boko Haram and if peace is restored in those areas.

Sekibo said “while politicians are busy scheming for the 2015 elections, insurgents are on the other hand having a field day, especially in the north-east.

I believe that we are trying our best, but is our best the best we can offer? What is happening is becoming increasingly difficult to explain to Nigerians. We want to be told what is happening. The insurgents are having a field day,” Senator Sekibo said.

“We are aware that the government is releasing your funds to you because you have not complained. We also approved $1billion for the President to purchase arms and ammunitions to fight Boko Haram. We are aware that your budget is being released to you. If you have difficulties you should tell us."

Minimah, on the other hand, said that the military would continue to fight the terrorists until they had reclaimed the lost ground.

Sekibo also said: “The spate of insurgency, the way and manner the insurgents are taking areas, is getting worrisome. We want to know what is happening. We also want to know the issue of the reported ceasefire. We want to know whether there was actually any ceasefire.

“We want to know whether there was a dialogue, the stage of the dialogue, if any, because few days after the announcement of the ceasefire, the insurgents struck and have continued to strike.

“We want to know where we are. We are approaching election year. Are we going to conduct elections in the north-east under the dire security challenge? These are our concerns and the concerns of Nigerians”.