National leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, has said he was dissatisfied and pained by the last meeting postponement of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
He however, urged Nigerians to remain committed and not be deterred from exercising their rights on Feb. 23.
Recall that Presidential and National Assembly elections slated for Feb. 16 were shifted till Feb. 23 by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Saturday, few hours to the commencement of the polls while the Governorship, state houses of assembly and Federal Capital Territory Area Council polls, earlier scheduled for March 2 were shifted to March 9.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Saturday in Lagos by his Media Officer, Tunde Rahman, Tinubu noted that the postponement should not have happened as it could discourage people from coming out on the rescheduled date.
According to him, there had been reports of eager voters rising early to at their polling units to cast their ballots on Saturday only to be told upon arriving that the election had been postponed.
The statement read in part: “Do not allow this delay to deter you from the expression of your democratic rights.
“What you had set your mind to do on February 16, keep your mind and heart on for February 23.
“As the National Leader of the APC and simply as a Nigerian, I must express my profound concern and dissatisfaction with the unexpected, late hour postponement of the presidential and national assembly elections by INEC.
“While we appreciate the enormity of the logistical challenge that elections in a vast nation like ours poses to INEC, we are still pained that the Commission could not meet this challenge within the time allotted. We are also perplexed that INEC literally waited so late in the day to make known the obstacles preventing it from keeping faith to the election schedule.
“INEC could have and should have given the nation more ample and earlier warning. This could have perhaps lessened the pervasive disappointment that we all now feel. It also would have helped people better order their steps today,” he said.
Notwithstanding, Tinubu urged Nigerians and political parties to support and encourage the electoral body to conduct a smooth election on February 23.
Tinubu said: “We must take INEC’s statement at face value and hold to the belief that INEC understands even more than ever the sober and grave responsibility it has to our nation and our democracy. INEC can only properly discharge that responsibility by conducting free and fair elections.
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“While we cannot go back to repair what did or did not happen to cause this postponement, we all must encourage INEC to do all that is necessary so voting can smoothly proceed on February 23. Whatever our political affiliation, we must encourage INEC to overcome the difficulties in order to rise to this most important occasion.
“In the end, elections must be held in such a manner that every vote carries the same weight and no vote is minimised because elections took place much earlier or later in one place than in another. Thus, it is better to experience a slight delay to conduct the elections properly rather than to conduct the elections piecemeal and uneven fashion.
“No one will absolve INEC if such a fate befalls this all-important election. The electoral body must use the one-week extension mend its logistics gaps and lapses. This delay has clearly provoked significant anger and disappointment among the people. The voters were ready and INEC should have been equally as prepared and ready as the voters.
“In the greater scheme of things, a one-week delay is not overly burdensome when compared to the importance of conduct of free and just elections in the establishment of representative democracy and good governance in our land.
“Please, persevere just a bit longer to ensure that the elections on February 23 truly reflect the will of the people.
“Whatever obstacles may come, be they large or small, let us show the world the Nigerian people will not be deterred from realizing the democracy for which we have fought and sacrificed so long and so hard to achieve.”
