INEC keeps mute over postponement of Edo guber

To meet with DSS, Police

Hope not ploy to confuse electorate – PDP

Doubts becloud next Saturday governorship election in Edo State, as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) seems to be confused over security reports urging the Commission to postpone the electoral exercise.

BusinessDay reports that the Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Police had in a press conference in Abuja called for the postponement of the election over alleged security threats in some states during the Eid-el-Kabir celebration coming up next Monday and Tuesday.

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman, INEC, who also addressed the press in Benin City, the Edo State capital, on Wednesday after stakeholders’ forum, was however not categorical whether the Commission would heed to the security advice or not.

Before going to press yesterday night, Yakubu however disclosed that the Commission would meet with the DSS and the Police before coming out with any statement, but failed to disclose when the meeting would take place.

Reacting to the planned postponement, Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) attributed the development to the alleged sponsored protest of the General Certificate of Education (GCE) examination candidates by the state governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

Dan Orbih, the state chairman of the party, alleged that the state governor sponsored some group of boys because they were having their Mathematics in the GCE examinations.

Orbih said the protesters who marched to Edo State Government House, APC and the PDP secretariats asked for the postponement of the election.

He added that when the protest failed to yield the needed result, the governor and the APC in the state resorted “to this other alternative plan that there were security concerns and that the election should be postponed.

”A few days ago, Adams Oshiomhole’s APC sponsored some group of boys to demonstrate to the Government House and the secretariats of the APC and the PDP asking for the postponement of the election because they were preparing for the Mathematics paper in the GCE examinations.

“Seen that it will not work, they resorted to this other alternative plan that there were security concerns and that the election should be postponed. Having failed in their bid to convince the electorate, they are all out to use available means to buy time.”

He said the APC defeat cannot be avoided and that it could only be delayed, noting that Edo people had spoken and were ready to sack the APC government on Saturday.

“What they must know is that their defeat cannot be avoided; it can only be delayed. Edo people have spoken and are ready to sack the APC government on Saturday.

“We are surprised because we just concluded an exercise with the INEC national chairman and INEC national commissioners about the election. They have even invited party agents to inspect sensitive materials and their movement to INEC offices.

“It is difficult to understand exactly what is going on. We hope this is not a ploy to confuse the electorate. We want a clear statement from INEC about this election. They are the body constitutional empowered to conduct the election.

 

“They must come out with a clear message telling the Edo electorate to ignore the position that the election should be postponed. One thing is clear, whether the election is holding on Saturday or tomorrow, Edo PDP will defeat the APC”, he added.

Earlier, the DSS and police asked INEC to postpone Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

At a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Don Awunah, police spokesman, and Garba Abdullahi, an agent of the DSS‎, cited security concerns.

In a swift reaction, the Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP, described the advice of the security agencies as ‘false alarm.’

A statement by the party’s national publicity secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, asked President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the security agencies and direct them to provide full security for the election.

The opposition party wondered why the security advice came a day after the President visited the state for the APC mega rally. “We hope that this advice from the security agencies are not in concert with the APC of having seen the indices of loosing the Edo State Gubernatorial Election to the PDP.

“It is on record that INEC recently conducted a ‘hitch free’ Senatorial By-Election in Borno State, which is a high-point of insurgency in the Country but the Security Agencies saw no reason to call-off the Election. It is therefore lamentable to hear from these same security agencies that the Election cannot be held in a State where in less than 24 hours, the President and all the APC leaders and members had an uninterrupted Rally.

“We are calling on the President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the security agencies and direct them to provide full security, and also to desist doing anything that will jeopardise this forthcoming Gubernatorial Election in Edo State. We are equally counting on INEC not to succumb to this false alarm by acting independently and holding election as scheduled.

“We hope that this advice from the security agencies are not in concert with the APC of having seen the indices of loosing the Edo State Gubernatorial Election to the PDP,” the statement read.