Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has issued a query to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections.
The ruling party equally denied the allegations by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that it was pressuring INEC into staggering the general elections.
Speaking at a news conference addressed by the APC Presidential Campaign Council Director of Election Planning and Monitoring, Babatunde, Raji Fashola, and the party’s Contact and Mobilisation, Hadiza Bala-Usman in Abuja, the APC threw several posers at the electoral umpire.
“As a result of the common pain shared by us all, we, the Directorate of Election Planning and Monitoring, and Contact and Mobilisation on behalf of APC Campaign Council, demand greater openness and transparency in the commission’s preparations ahead of Saturday February 23, 2019.
“We believe that members of the public should know what steps INEC have taken with CBN to assess, take inventory of materials and brief the public about what their condition is, the status of INEC’s plans to procure and provide materials for election and in particular let Nigerians know if all materials required are in country and if not what plans the commission has to ensure that they are.
“(What are) INEC’s plans to re-deploy and distribute materials ahead of Saturday‘s poll? The specific problems INEC encountered in the failed attempt of Saturday February 16, 2019, and measures it has taken to overcome them?
“What transport logistics and further materials INEC requires in terms of vehicles, boats, trucks, airplanes, helicopters, manpower and funding to execute the elections of February 23 and March 9.
“Confirmation that the configuration of the card readers will be completed in readiness of Saturday. In addition to all of these, we believe that INEC should brief Nigerians daily on an ongoing basis until this process is concluded. This is one way to elicit the buy-in of Nigerians that INEC is serious and this will replace disappointment with enthusiasm,” he stated.
Fashola further added that APC’s “disappointment is doubled due to the fact that unlike some who were apparently privy to this postponement in advance, we found out alongside the public a few hours before the polls opened.
“To the stranded corps members, we empathise with you. To the voters and volunteers who have travelled at great cost to cast their votes, we empathise with you. To party agents and our party faithful we empathise with you.
“Our sympathies go to all those people and we urge them not to despair. However, we Nigerians are a determined and resilient people and we will not let the shortcomings of INEC deter us from exercising our franchise,” he said.
On allegations that the APC was coercing INEC to stagger the elections, Fashola said: “I think that is not a responsible and credible allegation to make. APC does not conduct elections. We go by the rules as set by the electoral umpire.”
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary to the National Chairman of APC, Simon Egbebulem said the ruling party cannot wait to punish the PDP at the polls.
“That is the height of irresponsibility and desperation on the part of the PDP to make such stupid allegation. The entire world was at the venue where the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, expressed his disappointment very sincerely before the chairman of the INEC over the postponement of the election. President Muhammadu Buhari did the same.
“But we will not dissipate energy in responding to the PDP allegation because we await them at the polls. We all were in this country when under the PDP government, the then president ordered the chairman of the INEC to postpone the elections.
“But in this case, we saw a situation where the INEC decided to postpone elections on their own based on the excuses they enumerated. APC can never be like the fraudulent PDP which is the root of the problems which the APC-led administration is cleaning up,” he said.