… as voters, politicians warn INEC against bias
As the country finally gets ready for the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections, Nigerians have called on the two major presidential candidates – Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress – to take the result of the polls in good faith, wherever it swings, and avoid plunging the nation into irredeemable crisis.
From all indications and with the ‘body language’ of the candidate of the ruling APC, and his major challenger, Atiku Abubakar, many analysts have said Nigerians should get ready for an epic battle.
At 76, Saturday’s election might be the last chance for President Buhari, who had been in the saddle as a democratic leader since 2015, when he floored the then incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP after two unsuccessful attempts at the exalted position. This is as the major opposition Candidate, Atiku, of the PDP, appears very determined to cause an upset at 72, in what might just be his last shot at the country’s No.1 position, just as Buhari did in 2015.
However, all eyes are on the Independent National Electoral Commission to redeem its image even as last week’s postponement of the polls has cast a doubt on the ability of the electoral umpire to deliver on its mandate of conducting free, fair and credible elections in the country.
Despite the agreement on a new date, condemnations and reactions have continued to trail the initial postponement with many Nigerians still not sure whether INEC, under the current leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, would be able to handle the enormous task before it, despite all assurances.
Expressing an uncommon determination and confidence on causing a major upset in Saturday’s election just as Buhari did four years ago, the PDP Presidential Candidate, Atiku, said he would not be stopped from winning the presidential election. Though he expressed shock at the initial postponement of the exercise, Atiku, who spoke with newsmen at his Yola home last Saturday, described INEC’s action as “a case of the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob.”
“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,” he had said.
WE SAW IT COMING
Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), said when the news started some days ago that INEC might postpone the elections, he told some friends that it must be true.
“Afterall, there is no smoke without fire and no fire without smoke. But, trust INEC, it came out to deny the rumours, arguing it had nearly four years to prepare for the elections. At every opportunity, month after month, week after week, day after day, hour after hour and minute after minute, INEC assured a gullible and credulous nation that it was well prepared for the elections. I knew it was neither prepared nor truly independent as its name suggests,” he said.
The Chairman of the PDP in Adamawa State, Tahir Shehu, also slammed INEC for postponing the elections, saying it was not surprised that INEC could cite logistics reasons because his party had earlier raised objections over INEC’s partnership with the Nigerian Union of Road Transport workers.
Tahir said, “What they have done has cast a dark shadow on the country. We are calling on security agencies and the regulatory body not to ignite crisis in the country. Nigerians everywhere in the country will not take any kind of manipulation. We call on Nigerians to come out and defend their votes. 1,000 people can organise rigging but two people can foil it.”
Also condemning the initial postponement, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees , Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, described the postponement as a calamity, saying it would be difficult to conduct credible general elections.
The President, Ndigbo Unity Forum, Augustine Chukwunedum, called for the resignation of the INEC Chairman, Yakubu, for alleged incompetence and lack of capacity to carry out his duties.
“The man has no business remaining in that office again having being there for the past three years preparing for this election. He has failed to execute to its logical conclusion,” he said.
For legal luminary, Chief Mike Ahamba ( SAN), the sudden postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly polls was very unfortunate.
“I am as disappointed as everyone else who is a patriotic citizen of this country should be. It is an unfortunate development, but I want to say this: if anybody is a patriot, he should not allow what has happened to bother him or her,” he said.
The immediate past Commissioner for Information and State Orientation in Ebonyi State, Dr Chike Onwe, said the postponement was a rigging plan.
“You are seasoned enough to know that APC and Buhari want to rig 2019 Presidential election by all means, including delays/non-arrival of voting materials in several states so that they conduct elections in some states while some are shifted to another day for tactical manoeuvres that aid them to rig the elections. But they will not succeed. Their time is up no matter how they manipulate the system, “ he told The Point.
But the Ebonyi State House of Assembly Minority Leader and Alliance for New Nigeria candidate for Afikpo North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in Saturday’s National Assembly election, Hon Maria UdeNwachi, said, “The postponement has no negative effects on my ambition particularly, it only affords me more time to get more electorate on my side. My only worry is about the inconveniences it has posed on my supporters who came back from as far as USA to vote for me.”
A senior lecturer in the Mass Communication Department of Ebonyi State University, Abakalilki, Dr Adibe Kenneth, however, sees the postponement differently, saying, “The word ‘logistics’ is too ambiguous to my comprehension. This government is just playing a script, which may boomerang. The world is watching.”
A former Minister of Power and Steel, Chief Godwin Ogbaga, said, “Nothing serious or urgent elicited this election postponement. It is a clear case of collusion. INEC had four long years to plan for this elections. When they arranged bandits to attack and rob INEC office in Akwa Ibom of over 2,000 PVCs, which was unheard of in the past, I became suspicious. Again, they set INEC office in Abia State ablaze, burning thousands of PVCs in the process; I reinforced my suspicion. Next, they set ablaze containers containing INEC card readers and other election materials delivered to Anambra office. Then, I knew they had a plan.”
However, the postponement was received with mixed reactions in Zamfara State as supporters of the ruling APC went into jubilation over the issue, just as the opposition parties were unhappy with the change of the election dates.
Most of the APC supporters who spoke to our reporter expressed happiness over the new change, hoping that it would give them the chance to be included in the election by INEC.
While speaking with The Point, an APC stalwart and a serving Commissioner for Local Governments and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Bello Dankande Gamji, said the postponement would enable the state to participate the election.
The Special Adviser to Governor Abubakar Yari on Media and Publicity, Alhaji Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, also told our Correspondent, “We hope the postponement would be in the interest of the generality of Nigerians and we pray that God will guide INEC to do the right thing and ensure justice.”
“We hope the postponement would be an opening for Zamfara State APC candidates to be included in the general elections, scheduled to take place on 23rd February and March 2nd respectively,” he said.
This is as the Presidential candidate of Nigeria Elements Progressive Party, Comrade Ishaka Paul, strongly condemned the postponement, describing it as a plan by INEC to embarrass Nigeria before the world, calling on the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to resign.
‘LET THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE BE DONE’
In Benue State, a second Republic Minister of Communication, Chief Isaac Shaahu, lampooned the electoral umpire for the poor handling of the process and called for a total re-organisation of the exercise.
“I’m amazed at the turn of events. It is rather giving a bad image to the country before the foreign electoral observers. In any case, let the will of the people be done so that every vote shall be counted and there has to be transparency in the forthcoming elections,” he said.
Benue State APC Chairman, Mr. Abah Yaro, however, said the postponement was healthy for the exercise, stressing that it would allow loose ends to be tightened.
APC PLANNING TO FORCE BUHARI ON NIGERIANS – PDP
Meanwhile, the PDP on Wednesday said it condemned “the rigging machinations by the Buhari Presidency and the APC that frustrated our electoral process and led to the painful postponement of the February 16 Presidential election,” adding, “The fear-stricken Buhari Presidency has launched a more ferocious plot with INEC and security agencies to ambush the rescheduled elections and foist General Muhammadu Buhari on our nation.”
The party, however, assured that ” their evil plots will come to naught.”
Speaking at a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, said since the postponement, “the Buhari Presidency and APC have been breathing down on the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in a desperate and feverish bid to consolidate their control of the operations of the commission and execute its rigging plot.”
He stated, “At a meeting held in Buhari Presidency/APC situation room in the Presidential Villa last night, where Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the Managing Director of Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Hadiza Bala Usman, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mustapha Boss, among others, were in attendance, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) were directed to issue out result sheets to APC agents to falsify and declare results in favour of the APC.
“Intelligence at our disposal reveals that the INEC Chairman has succumbed to back channel bullying by the Buhari Presidency and APC to accede to their demand to replace Electoral Officers (EOs) in various critical states with APC agents who will vehemently execute President Buhari’s rigging plans in the February 23, Presidential
election.”
“Nigerians have made huge sacrifices for a free, fair, credible and transparent election to vote out President Buhari on Saturday. They will, as such, spare no thought in ensuring that anybody recruited by the enemies of democracy to rig the election will be resisted.”
