By Destiny Day
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) got both knocks and kudos on Saturday at the International Conference Centre Abuja where the Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu briefed stakeholders on why the Commission postponed the 2019 general elections originally slated for February 16 and March 2 respectively.
The presidential and national assembly elections were to take place on Saturday, February 16 while the governorship and state assembly polls were slated for Saturday, March 2.
Nigerians had traveled for the presidential and national assembly polls when they woke in the wee hours of Saturday, the day of the election, to hear that the exercised had been put off by the INEC.
The INEC which obviously was overwhelmed on Friday went into an emergency meeting that lasted till the early hours of Saturday when the Commission took the decision to reschedule the polls.
Mahmood who announced the rescheduling after the emergency meting with his key staff quickly called a meeting of stakeholders at 2pm to explain in details what transpired.
At the stakeholders meting where former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, and United Nations Special Representatives of Security and Government, Ibn Chambas and other prominent personalities within and outside the country were in attendance, Mahmood got as much blame as he got kudos.
Some Chairmen of the relatively known political parties were at the forefront of commending Mahmood for his bravery, intervention and industry, even though they papered over his failure to take the decision earlier than he did.
Those who canvassed such views also wanted the INEC to find ways of ameliorating the hardship their supporters who had traveled for the election have. gone through.
The knock for Mahmood came mainly from the National chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole who told the INEC boss that he was not only disappointed in him as a person but that his party and the entire Nigerians were disappointed that he postponed the election by 2 am on the day the exercise was to have started.
Oshiomhole said Mohmood owed Nigerians apology for such dereliction of duty and for taking the country and Nigerians for a ride when he could have postponed the polls earlier if the commission had issues.
“Mr. Chairman, sir, with due respect, I am disappointed in you and my party is also disappointed in you for this postponement after you told everybody that you were ready on the eve of the presidential and national assembly elections.
“You owe Nigerians apology for this, particularly as the logistics the political parties deployed in the polling stations and booths across the country did not come easy,” Oshiomhole told Mahmood.
Oshiomhole berated some of his fellow party chairmen for failing to tell the INEC chairman the truth about the implications of the postponement which he said, comes with a huge cost.
Earlier, Mahmood took time to explain the circumstances under which he rescheduled the polls.
He said he took responsibility for the postponement and that it had nothing do with the security situation in the country, politics or lack of resources as being suggested at some quarters.
He appealed to Nigerians to see reasons for the rescheduling, and promised that from Monday the Commission will start dealing with all the threatening challenges ahead of the Saturday February 23 rescheduled presidential and national assembly polls.
