Blame INEC, Buhari over postponement of election — Atiku tells Nigerians

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) decision to postpone the Presidential/National Assembly and Gubernatorial/House of Assembly Elections.

INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, addressing reporters at the press centre of the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, the nation’s Capital, said that the polls would not go on as planned due to some challenges encountered by the commission.

He explained that the decision to postpone the polls followed a careful review of the implementation of the logistics and operational plans put in place for the exercise.

Atiku, in a statement he personally signed in the early hours of Saturday, described the situation as unfortunate.

He blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for failure to utilise the time it had to organise the elections.

He related the actions of INEC to the Biblical hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob.

The statement read: “As you know, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced a postponement of the elections until 23 February and 9 March respectively.

“The Buhari administration has had more than enough time and money to prepare for these elections and the Nigerian people were poised and ready to perform their civic responsibility by voting in the elections earlier scheduled for Saturday, 16 February, 2019.

“This postponement is obviously a case of the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob. By instigating this postponement, the Buhari administration hopes to disenfranchise the Nigerian electorate in order to ensure that turn out is low on the rescheduled date. Nigerians must frustrate their plans by coming out in even greater numbers on Saturday, 23 February and Saturday, 9 March respectively.

“Knowing that the Nigerian people are determined to reject them, they are desperate and will do anything in their power to avoid their rejection by the Nigerian people.

“Their plan is to provoke the public, hoping for a negative reaction, and then use that as an excuse for further anti-democratic acts.

“As such, I call on all Nigerians to be patient. We have tolerated the maladministration of this government for four years. We can extend our tolerance a few more days and give them our verdict via our votes.”