The Coalition for Clean Polls (CCP) has warned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to perfect all plans to ensure all elections hold as scheduled, saying that the new dates of Saturday, February 23 and March 9 must be sacrosanct in order to avoid possible civil unrest.
The group, in a press statement signed by its publicity secretary, Daniel Onche, said it is worried by current logistics hiccups facing the commission as reported by the media on Thursday.
“After about a week now, it is disturbing that some result sheets that were meant to arrive in Imo, Lagos, Kano and Kwara states were accidentally or delibrately delivered to other states across the country, according to media reports of Thursday, February 21, 2019.
“In Imo state, when stakeholders examined sensitive materials for verification in Owerri on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, it was discovered that some materials were missing. The state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Francis Ezeonu, reportedly discovered upon investigation that the missing materials had been delivered to Gombe and Ondo states.
“Some result sheets belonging to Gombe state were also discovered in the package delivered to Imo, among others. These avoidable logistics hiccups are already casting aspersions on the readiness of INEC to conduct elections this Saturday,” he pointed out.
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The group said any attempt by INEC to further postpone the planned elections could lead to civil disobedience in the country as Nigerians are becoming agitated and ready to exercise their franchise.
Oche said the INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, must ensure that credible, transparent, fair and acceptable elections are conducted in the country.
“Nigerians would not tolerate any further shift in new schedule of elections in Nigeria under any guise or pretext. While we agree that it is not advisable for the chairman of INEC to be removed at a critical time like this, the INEC chairman must put his house in order, Nigerians’ patience is being over-stretched and this could lead to civil disobedience.
“Mahmood has let down this country, he has brought more disgrace to Nigeria among the comity of Nations with his bizarre action last week. He has another opportunity now to correct the wrong perception. He must ensure that compromised agents in INEC do not sabotage all efforts to ensure credible elections are held come this Saturday.
“There are strong indications that some compromised elements in INEC are still hellbent on disgracing the Nation by ensuring that the elections neither hold or Card readers in some states do not function properly with the sole aim of discrediting the process,” they said.
