The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has said that it remained consistent and firm that the 2015 general elections must hold within the timeline allowed by the law.

The Forum on Friday in Bauchi, vowed that there must be new administrations at federal and state levels based on credible, free, fair, and transparent elections by May 29 this year.

The Forum at a press briefing in Bauchi led by its spokesman, Professor Ango Abdullahi said, it stood to reject any arrangement outside and which was inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Abdullahi explained that the forum had observed various sinister scenarios being hatched out by the ruling elite to scuttle the 2015 elections and derail regular democratic institutions from functioning to serve the needs of Nigeria and its people.

He outlined the sinister scenarios as rigging elections by all means including the use of soldiers as done recently in Ekiti State, and massive use of public funds to bribe voters and personnel officiating in the elections.

Others, he stated, were refusal to accept modernisation of the balloting process by the sitting government, insisting that old methods be used as a means for it to rig as in previous elections.

Professor Ango Abdullahi flanked by a forum member and Wazirin Bauchi, Alhaji Muhammadu Bello Kirfi, said the move was evidenced by the suit allegedly filed by the Attorney General of the Federation to stop INEC from using PVCs and card readers.

“Intimidation and harassment of opposition as ample evidence seen in various parts of the country like Rivers State, Kano State, Lagos State, and several other cases of intimidations targeted against individuals”, he pointed out.

NEF further observed that the idea of an Unconstitutional Interim National Government (ING) is being vigorously canvassed in order to avoid a smooth transition of governance based on the popular will of the electorate.

He described as flimsy, clumsy, indefensible, and mere smokescreen, the insecurity excuses given for the postponement of the February 28 and March 14 elections, as only a fraction of security personnel available in the country are directly engaged in the war against insurgency in the Northeast.

“Assuming that soldiers are needed, we need to know that of the about 180, 000 soldiers in uniform only about 20, 000 are presently in the North-eastern zone of the country”, he said.

Professor Ango Abdullahi further explained that even in countries such as Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Srilanka, and recently Afghanistan where full wars raged, elections were held.