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Tag: Postponement

  • Ohanaeze Ndigbo, political parties, others react over INEC’s postponement of 2019 general elections

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo, political parties, others react over INEC’s postponement of 2019 general elections

    The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo has described the postponement of the Feb. 16 presidential and National Assembly elections as a `rude shock’.

    The organisation however, said that it would not draw conclusions on the matter yet until after the stakeholders meeting slated by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to clarify the circumstances.

    The Assistant National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Mr Chuks Ibegbu disclosed this on Saturday in Enugu while reacting to the shift in the dates of the general elections.

    The electoral body arising from a meeting of its national commissioners early hours of Saturday announced a shift in the dates of the general elections.

    The presidential and NASS elections that were scheduled to hold on Feb. 16 were shifted to Feb. 23 while the governorship and state houses of assembly elections that were slated for March 3 were rescheduled to March 9.

    The INEC in its preliminary reports cited logistical challenges as the major reason for the shift in dates.

    Ibegbu said that such uncertainty in the implementation of plans was characteristic of human nature.

    “Human activities are filled with uncertainties. Therefore, we will not pre-empt INEC until they come out to give us the full details of why the elections were shifted,” he said.

    Ibegbu however, said that it was regrettable that the elections did not go on as planned considering the fact that the electoral body had told Nigerians of its readiness for the polls.

    In a sinilar vein, the spokesman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Osun, Mr Taiwo Akeju, in a telephone interview in Osogbo on Saturday described the postponement of the elections as saddening and disheartening.

    Akeju said the postponement was a bad omen for Nigeria’s democracy and an unfortunate turn of events.

    He said the decision would dampen the spirit of Nigerians, adding that there would be dire consequences for such action.

    “What INEC has done has put Nigeria’S democracy in bad light before the international communitY.

    “The postponement is a very bad omen, it is not good for our democracy and the image of the country.

    “Until yesterday, INEC had assured that the elections would hold and that they have no excuse to shift the elections now.

    “What now happened between then and now? This is not too good for our democracy,’’ Akeju said.

    Also speaking, Mr Bisi Sunday, the Public Relations Officer of the PDP, said that with the postponement of the elections, INEC was no longer independent.

    Sunday said the postponement of the elections was a bad omen and not good for the image of the country.

    “We did not expect this postponement at all. How can INEC postpone the elections few hours to the exercise?.

    “This is gross abuse of office and it is saddening and this clearly shows that INEC is no longer independent.

    “We have mobilised our supporter across the state for the elections and now they called the process off.

    “ This will affect the morale of the people,’’ Sunday said.

    Meanwhile, the President of Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network, Mr Olu Omotayo has said that the sudden postponement was not good for the image of the country.

    Omotayo said that much funds and preparations by Nigerians may have gone into the presidential and NASS polls only for the INEC to call it off at the last minute.

    He said that many Nigerians including election observers had travelled far and near in readiness for the exercise only to wake up with the shocking news.

    “The postponement of the elections shows that INEC was not even ready in the first place. This is good not for the image of the country,” he said.

    Omotayo appealed to the electoral body to put its house in order to ensure a smooth exercise in the new dates as announced.

  • Election postponement: INEC is a disappointment – Situation Room

    The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has expressed concern over reports of delay in the distribution of election materials in several parts of the country by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the 2019 Nigeria General Elections.

    It regretted that the reports reaching it indicated inadequacy in the deployment of materials for the polls.

    Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, stated these in a statement in Abuja in the early hours of Saturday.

    He said, “Against the background of assurances given by INEC on its preparedness, this current situation comes to us as a disappointment.

    “Situation Room calls on INEC to be upfront, truthful and transparent with the Nigerian people with respect to the challenges they are facing that may affect the polls.

    “The Situation Room wishes to state categorically that any assessment or decision by INEC regarding the polls or challenges with materials must be made with respect to the whole country and not in any way focused on some parts of the country.

    “Any suggestion that the election be held in a staggered manner will be totally unacceptable and would be a recipe for a disastrous election. INEC owes it to Nigerians to provide clear explanation on why we are having conversations about deployment of materials in this late hour.

    “The credibility of election depends not just on the efficiency of INEC to manage its processes but also in its ability to communicate honestly with the stakeholders.

    “We call on all stakeholders especially the political parties to approach any challenge this process throws up with patriotism and commitment to peaceful and legal resolution of conflicts.”

  • Atiku reacts to postponement of today’s presidential election

    Atiku reacts to postponement of today’s presidential election

    The Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has officially reacted to the postponement of Saturday’s presidential election by the nation’s electoral umpire, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The former vice president in a statement on Saturday accused President Muhammadu Buhari of plotting to disenfranchise Nigerians, moments after the general elections were formally postponed.

    Atiku, however, urged Nigerians to exercise patience and not be provoked before the new dates announced for the exercise.

    Recall that Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, announced at about 2:40 a.m. Saturday that the election had been postponed, barely hours after Nigerians were set to hit the polling units.

    The elections would now hold on new dates scheduled as February 23 for presidential and National Assembly elections and March 9 for governorship and state assemblies elections.

    Yakubu said the announcement came hours after a string of strategic meetings were held by top INEC officials to review preparedness for the exercise. It was concluded that a rash of logistics challenges that arose on Friday informed the postponement.

    Ekiti, Niger and Taraba States were identified as some of the states that faced glitches of distribution of voting materials that would be difficult to resolve in time for the elections Saturday morning, thereby forcing the postponement.

    Read his initial reaction in full below:

    PRESS RELEASE

    Election Postponement: Remain Peaceful In Face of Provocation

    Yola, Nigeria, 16 Feb 2019: Dear citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,

    As you know, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced a postponement of the elections until 23 February and 9 March respectively.

    The Buhari administration has had more than enough time and money to prepare for these elections and the Nigerian people were poised and ready to perform their civic responsibility by voting in the elections earlier scheduled for Saturday, 16 February, 2019.

    This postponement is obviously a case of the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob. By instigating this postponement, the Buhari administration hopes to disenfranchise the Nigerian electorate in order to ensure that turn out is low on the rescheduled date. Nigerians must frustrate their plans by coming out in even greater numbers on Saturday, 23 February and Saturday, 9 March respectively.

    Knowing that the Nigerian people are determined to reject them, they are desperate and will do anything in their power to avoid their rejection by the Nigerian people.

    Their plan is to provoke the public, hoping for a negative reaction, and then use that as an excuse for further anti-democratic acts.

    As such, I call on all Nigerians to be patient. We have tolerated the maladministration of this government for four years. We can extend our tolerance a few more days and give them our verdict via our votes.

    Maintain the peace and be law abiding. Do not react to this provocation with anger, violence or any action that might be exploited by those who do not want this election to hold. Remain calm. We will overcome this. You can postpone an election, but you cannot postpone destiny.

    Please come out to vote on Saturday, 23 February and Saturday, 9 March respectively. Frustrate those who do not want this election to hold by coming out in very large numbers. That is the best antidote to their plans.

    May God bless you and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Atiku Abubakar

    Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party & Vice President of Nigeria, 1999-2007.

  • 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.

  • INEC speaks on postponement of 2019 general elections

    …May extend PVC collection deadline

    …IG bars police escorts for VIPs on election days

    The the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday insisted that it has no plans to postpone the general elections scheduled for February 16 and March 2, 2019.

    INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians and the international community that the elections will be held as scheduled.

    The INEC boss spoke on a day the United States (U.S) said it has no preferred candidate.

    Its Consul-General in Nigeria, Ambassador John Bay, who was in Bayelsa State yesterday, said that the U.S. was only interested in free, fair and credible elections.

    There are pending legal tussles from the primaries organised by political parties suggesting that INEC may have to postpone some elections.

    But Prof Yakubu told stakeholders at a meeting organised by INEC that the commission will not be swayed into postponing any of the scheduled polls.

    He noted that the commission has been dragged to court for 640 times and received 540 applications for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of documents.

    Yakubu promised that the commission under his watch will continue to obey all court orders, assuring that it would not be deterred in the discharge of its functions.

    He said: “Court cases arising from the conduct of congress and primaries have risen to 640. INEC has been dragged to court 640 times, we have received 540 requests for certified true copy of documents. We have received 186 petitions over the conduct of congresses and party primaries.

    “It is the policy of INEC to obey court orders. People ask if the judgments from these courts are decided close to elections if INEC will postpone the elections, INEC will not postpone any elections but we will make contingency arrangements in case some of the orders come close to elections.”

    The INEC chairman also assured the stakeholders that he would “never fail Nigeria and Nigerians.”

    Stating that Smart Card Reader (SCR) will be deployed in the elections, Yakubu expressed surprise that many Nigerians complained of not collecting their PVCs at the centres.

    He reiterated that the commission printed the total of 14.2 million PVCs after voters’ registration adding that those cards were ready for collection.

    The INEC chair, therefore, said the commission would meet with a view to possibly reviewing the deadline for collection.

    He said: “Let me assure the nation and the stakeholders that smart card reader will be deployed in the 2019 elections. The next big issue for us is the voter register and the availability of the PVC.

    “We have heard so many complaints by citizens that they have been to collection centers but we are surprised to hear that in some centres they were told to come back that the cards were not printed.

    “We have 14.2 million new voters, the commission printed 14.2 million cards.the commission is going to meet today (Thursday) and where it is necessary, we will review the arrangements for the collection of PVC.”

    He urged the transport companies to ensure that polling units receive the electoral materials at 7:30am while voting should commence at 8am.

    According him, priority has been given to the elderly, visibly pregnant women and the physically challenged persons to vote at the polling units or voting points.

    The INEC chairman reiterated that while magnifying glasses and brailles have been provided for the visually impaired to aid them to vote, form EC30 containing bold instructions on how the deaf should cast their votes are posted at every polling units as well as the voting points.

    He also stated that the list of returning officers would be vetted to ensure that partisan members of academic staff were not included.

    According to him, 148 observer groups comprising 119 domestic observer groups and 29 foreign observer groups have been accredited by the commission to monitor the polls.

    Also speaking on the preparations for the elections, the Acting Inspector-General (IG) of Police, Mohammed Adamu, noted that the security agency has identify the flashpoints.

    Also, as part of the efforts to address the issue, the IG said no VIP (Very Important Person) would be allowed to move around with police escort on election days.

    He warned that any policeman who contravened the rule would be arrested.

    “No escort of VIPs on election day, any policeman who contravenes this order would be arrested,” the acting IG warned.

  • No postponement of Anambra governorship election – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Wednesday said the Anambra State governorship election would hold on November 18 as scheduled.

    The commission said it would not allow any shift of date, adding that to do so would adversely affect the cost of running the election.

    The state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, who stated this in a meeting with the executive members of Inter-party Advisory Council in the state, said the commission would resist any attempt to truncate the electoral process.

    He said, “We want the election to hold as scheduled. We have 58 days to the election and we are on top of the preparations. There would not be any need for postponement.

    “Any attempt to shift the date would be a waste of resources. We need to conclude the election as scheduled so as to focus on the 2019 general elections.”