INEC postpones Edo election by two weeks

• PDP says it is illegal
• Fayose calls the shift bad signal for democracy

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Thursday postponed the Edo State governorship election by two weeks.

The decision to shift the election was taken at a security meeting held in Benin, the state capital. The spokesman to the INEC Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Oyekanmi, confirmed the postponement.

Reacting to the development, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the postponement of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo state as illegal, saying it’s a coup against the people.

The party, in a statement by its spokesman, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, said the date should be kept sacrosanct, stressing that there were no tangible reasons to tamper with the election.

The statement said: “The call for the postponement of the election by the top hierarchy of the security agencies predicated on alleged security threat was a less than ingenious attempt to buy time for the APC which is clearly heading for a major electoral catastrophe on Saturday.

“It is shameful and indeed a major constitutional breach for the security agencies to act in concert with the APC to truncate an election that had been planned for months.

“Nigerians were not deceived by the obvious concoctions of the security agencies whose performances during elections have been less than average since the advent of the Buhari administration.

“Indeed they have become instruments in the hands of the ruling party to harass, intimidate and punish opponents.”

The PDP called on the President and the National Assembly to conduct a non-partisan and holistic review and investigation of the national security apparatus to save the nation’s fledgling democracy.

In a related development, Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has described the postponement of the Edo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a very bad signal and beginning of the end for democracy in Nigeria, adding that; “it is obvious that the All Progressives Congress (APC) feared that it can’t win the election and is ready to employ whatever crude means to subvert the wish of the people.”

The governor, who said he was alarmed by the APC government of President Mohammadu Buhari’s use of security agencies to arm-twist democratic process said; “I warned Nigerians not to elect Buhari because he lacked capacity mentally, morally and intellectually to superintend over any civilised society, now we are all seeing the results. Our economy is in recession and democracy is also in recession!”

In a statement on Thursday, signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said INEC knew that it was not going to conduct the election on Saturday as scheduled but opted to deceive Nigerians.

He said; “Apart from the security agencies that they instructed not to provide security for the election, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was under instruction since yesterday (Wednesday) not to release electoral materials to INEC.”

“It was just a game by the APC-led federal government to frustrate the people of Edo State from kick-starting the journey of changing the APC one-chance change in Nigeria, but they should realise that the power of the people will always be greater than the power of those in power.

“How can you postpone an election less than 48 hours to the scheduled date? What manner of security concern could prevent an election in just one State when elections were held in Northeast States that are confronted by Boko Haram insurgents?

“Obviously, this is a sign of what to come in 2019 and Nigerians should not be amazed if in 2019, they tell us that elections cannot be conducted.

“This is sad! It is a sad commentary for democracy in Nigeria and I only hope this Buhari’s APC government will not collapse democracy in this country,” the governor said.

While calling on the people of Edo State to remain steadfast in their resolve to vote out the APC government, which has become a government of hunger, poverty, job loss, economic and political recession, insecurity and unprecedented sufferings, Governor Fayose said; “Let them keep postponing their evil day, Edo people should just be vigilant and wait patiently for that day that they will use their votes to change the APC one-chance change.”