“Only an Act of God” can stop the conduct of the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly election slated for Saturday February 23, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission has said.
Yakubu said this in Abuja while addressing the diplomatic community and international election monitoring groups in Nigeria. Unfortunately, it is difficult to believe him because he’s said so in the past, yet he seemed to have bungled INEC’s initial February 17 date. Besides, he has admitted that saboteurs have attempted to mess thinga up for INEC.
Yakubu’s surreptitious announcement of the postponement from February 17 to 23 in the dead of night, while honourable men and women were asleep remains suspicious. It is also scary to note that even as President and No.1 Citizen, Muhammadu Buhari said he’d learnt of the postponement at 4.45am of the initial election day
Yakubu’s briefing, which was done by proxy, was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in conjunction with INEC. Through INEC National Commissioner, Dr Mustapha Lecky, Yakubu said that the commission had put in place everything possible to ensure the elections held on Saturday.
He said the commission had developed a six-point agenda of what needed to be done to ensure the success of the election. The question is: Hasn’t this agenda been there all along, yet it failed Yakubu and his team last Saturday?
Well Yakubu also said that INEC has completed the deployment of materials. “We have received all the materials, they have been checked, audited, people have been informed, party agents have gone there to check.”
The official said that INEC had already taken responsibility for the postponement and that the body was committed to surpass achievement of previous elections in the country. This is easier said than done.
Whether Nigerians and international observers would applaud Yakubu’s INEC for a job well done or boo him is just a matter of days from now. He has grim decisions to make.
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Nawa o. Same “act of God” was said regarding last Saturday’s,ha. What a terrible accusation. Abeg make God no vex for una o for this accusation