Constitutional Lawyer and Executive Director of Human Right Monitor (HRM), Barrister Festus Okoye, has expressed reservation on the viability of the time table released yesterday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of the 2011 general elections.

Okoye, who was a member of the Electoral Reform Committee (ERC), told Daily Trust last night that the National Assembly should have allowed INEC to fix the sequence of elections because they are constitutionally empowered to do so rather than setting the mood themselves in the amendments they carry out on the Electoral Act and the Nigerian Constitution.

"It is a dicey matter and a subject of great debate and anxiety whether the first amendment to the Constitution has come into force. The entire electoral process is anchored on the first amendment and if the Courts aside it aside, the entire electoral process will be thrown into confusion and will just crumble," Okoye said.

He said the release of the Electoral Time Table is both a constitutional and statutory responsibility of the INEC, by the combined provisions of sections 76(2), 116(2), 132(2) and 178(2) of the 1st amendment to the 1999 Constitution, National Assembly and the State Assemblies elections shall not be held earlier than one hundred and fifty (150) days and not later than one hundred and twenty (120) days before the date on which the House stands dissolved while Presidential and Governorship elections shall also be held on a date not earlier than one hundred and fifty (150) days and not later than one hundred and twenty (120) days before the expiration of the term of office of the last holder of that office.