Election Postponement: INEC Orders Withdrawal Of Sensitive Materials
The Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) in Kogi said it had started withdrawing all sensitive election materials earlier issued out for the conduct of the presidential and national assembly elections.
INEC Director of Voter Education and Publicity in the state, Ahmed Biambo who disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja today, Saturday said that the materials are being returned to all the local government offices of the commission.
He said that further directive was being awaited on whether to return the sensitive materials to the Central Bank of Nigeria or to the police armoury for safe keeping.
According to him, the office has also ordered immediate transportation of all ad hoc staff, especially youth corps members back to their bases.
He admitted that the office did not receive ballot papers for the Kogi East senatorial election until about 2am when the election was suddenly postponed.
A Correspondent of NAN who was at the state INEC office in Lokoja reported that all was calm with few staff members at their duty posts.
Armed policemen and operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps were seen manning strategic positions in and around the office.
Also , the state Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Busari has urged residents to resume their normal activities following the postponement of the elections.
Busari, who briefed the media after a review meeting on situation with other security agencies, said that security was being beefed up around sensitive election materials in all parts of the state.
He said that comprehensive security measures were in place to protect life and property, saying that the force will not condone any break down of security under whatever guise.
According to him, security forces will continue to patrol major streets and carry out show of force to deter hoodlums and their sponsors.
Busari confirmed that some people considered to be threat to free conduct of the elections were arrested in different parts of the state.
The Commissioner who did not give exact number of people arrested, said that some of them had been set free after being made to sign letters if undertaking to be of good conduct while the remaining were still undergoing screening.
Meanwhile, Lokoja, the Kogi State capital remained calm with majority of the residents still indoors.
The National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has asked the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu to resign over the postponement of the general elections by one week.
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed disappointment at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the last minute postponement of the general elections in the country despite the long notice given and the preparations both locally and internationally.
The Presidential Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has smelled a rat over the sudden postponement of the general elections which was scheduled to begin today, Saturday with the Presidential election.
Natasha, who has been at loggerhead with the state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, over the senatorial contest, has been vocal in reporting intimidation and harassment by the governor.
History Of Election Postponements And Their Effect On Outcome, By Fredrick Nwabufo
Really, what happened was that the electoral umpire had sent election materials meant for the governorship polls scheduled for April 16 to some states instead of those for the legislative election? This was an epochal, embarrassing logistics failure by INEC.
However, the Commonwealth Observer Mission in its report on April 18 said INEC managed to hold a “reasonable election” on the rescheduled date. In other words, that the exercise was shifted did not “totally negatively” affect its outcome.
“The experience of 2 April should not have happened. While INEC managed to hold a reasonable election on 9 April and improved its performance further on 16 April, it clearly needs to improve on its organisational capacity,” it said.
In fact, the National Democratic Institute (NDI), Washington DC, US, gave INEC some accolades for the conduct of the rescheduled national assembly election.
Here is what it said in its report: “Reports from NDI observers contrasted markedly with observations recorded during the 2007 polls, when systemic and widespread irregularities subverted the overall credibility of those elections. In this election, (April 9 rescheduled national assembly election), polls were conducted in a generally calm and peaceful atmosphere, with many Nigerians demonstrating eagerness and determination to vote despite long queues and hats weather conditions.”
On February 7, the 2015 general election was shifted by five weeks, seven days before the exercise. Though INEC relied on security advice and not problems of logistics in taking the decision, the rescheduled election was largely free, fair and peaceful. This is according to some international observers.
So, it is clear that rescheduling an election may not colossally affect its turn-out or credibility. I know this is a difficult position to hold at this time that many Nigerians would like to have the head of INEC on a spike, but we must look beyond emotions and a bit into the nitty-gritty.
However, it is grossly irresponsible of INEC to have postponed the election nine hours before the schedule. Really, it is gravitationally sloppy of it. The electoral body had four years to prepare for the exercise; this tardiness can simply not be excused.
Importantly, INEC should not lease itself to political influence. Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, had pensively asked the electoral body to postpone conducting any election in Zamfara state so as to accommodate candidates from the APC. The party has been banned from fielding candidates in the state owing to the fraudulent primary elections it conducted.
As it is, if INEC succumbs to this wheedling, it will be clear that it did not postpone the election for logistics reasons, but for political reasons.
Fredrick is a media personality.
Twitter: @FredrickNwabufo