TheNewsGuru

Tag: INEC Chairman

  • Oshiomhole blasts INEC chairman on National TV, demands apologies for election postponement

    The National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole on Saturday expressed his disgust at the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for waiting till 2 am on Saturday to postpone the elections when it was obvious that the commission ‘was experiencing logistical challenges since Wednesday.’

    Recall that the chairman of the commission, Prof. Yakub Mahmood earlier announced the commission’s decision to postpone the elections initially scheduled to hold on Saturday, February 16.

    The commission had since been under fire nationally and internationally for postponing the elections on the very day it was scheduled to hold.

    At a press briefing with the stakeholders on Saturday, the national chairman of the commission insisted that as at 2 am on Saturday, the commission was confident that the elections will hold as scheduled.

    While voicing his anger, Oshiomhole said the commission under Mahmood had embarrassed the nation with the postponement. “I don’t understand why others are commending you but I think you owe us, particularly the players and Nigerians in general some apologies and more detailed explanation on why this postponement had to wait till 2 am on the scheduled date before postponement. This is an embarrassment to us a nation. We have spent a lot of funds mobilising agents across the over 176,000 polling units across the country. How do we explain the expenditure of such huge cost for a failed election. This about Nigeria. I came into this hall this afternoon to discover that some seats in front were reserved for foreign observers. This election is about Nigerians first and not our friends. Mr. Chairman, you owe us more explanation on why the postponement was not done at least forty hours to the elections,” a visibly angered Oshiomhole said.

    Other participants at the stakeholders press briefing also expressed their disappointment at the commission but advocated for support for a successful poll.

    The INEC chairman however reiterated that the campaigns are closed and so is the PVC collection.

  • Elections: PDP rejects postponement, demands immediate resignation of INEC chairman

    ……says its Buhari’s agenda to cling to power
    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has said that shoddy arrangement for this election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is a deliberate pre determined agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to cling on to power even when it’s obvious to him that Nigerians want him out.
    Prince Secondus said that the postponement which is part of a grand design by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to thwart the will of Nigerians at all cost, clearly exposes INEC as a failure and calls on the Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to resign immediately.
    The PDP leader warns that the party will not accept anything short of a well organized electoral process devoid of manipulation, harassment and intimidation of voters and the opposition particularly members of the PDP.
    Having failed in all their nefarious options to enable them cling on to power, the APC and the INEC came up with the idea of shifting election an action that is dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable.
    The National Chairman said that the APC in connivance with the INEC have been trying all options including but not limited to burning down INEC offices in some states and destroying of electoral materials to create artificial problems upon which to stand for their dubious act.
    According to a statement from the National Chairman’s media office signed by Ike Abonyi, Prince Secondus said that the party is privy to all the pressures from the APC and the federal government to arm twist the INEC, to dance to their new strategy after their earlier ones failed.
    “With several of their rigging options failing, they have to force INEC to agree to a shift in the election or a staggered election with flimsy excuses pre manufactured for the purpose.
    “For the avoidance of doubt the PDP sees this action as wicked and we are also aware of other dubious designs like the deployment of hooded security operatives who would be ruthless on the people ostensibly to scare them away.
    He said that by the action of the President he has further demonstrated his insensitivity costing the huge cost after Nigerians including those who came home from abroad have all mobilized to their various constituencies.
    The National Chairman recalls that the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that the APC was coming up with lined up rigging strategies including burning down of INEC offices and engineering crisis in PDP strong hold areas to scare away the people.
    Prince Secondus said that the wicked killing of over 60 persons mostly women and children in Southern Kaduna on the eve of election is a copious ploy by the APC to frighten the people away from voting knowing too well that they were not going to record any vote from the area.
    “Recall that the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el rufai had earlier threatened international election observers of going to their country in body bags and with the fatal violence in the state on the eve of election, it’s clear what the motives are, to frighten the observers from the state so that he can carry out his nefarious acts.
    The National Chairman also drew the attention of all lovers of democracy to the statement of President Buhari on the international media that nobody can unseat him from office as an indication of what he wants to do.
    Prince Secondus also regretted that President Buhari who made a promise at the signing of peace accord that the election will be conducted in a fair and transparent atmosphere has gone ahead in breach of the peace agreements to send soldiers and other security agencies to arrest, harass and intimidate opponents in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kano, Kaduna states.