Election postponement: Shock, angst, disappointment in Delta
By The electorate in oil-rich Delta State, who had weathered all storms in preparation to exercise their franchise on Saturday, woke up disappointed on realising the exercise had been postponed.
They expressed shock, anger and disappointment at the midnight postponement of the Saturday presidential and national assembly elections slated for today, accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of playing a script.
A human and environmental rights activist, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, in a reaction on Saturday in Warri, described the development as unwise and lack of sincerity on the part of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“It’s untimely and unwise to postpone the general elections on an election day; it shows the insincerity and lack of commitment.
“However, it’s a welcome development to douse tension because it is better to postpone than have an inconclusive election that may result in anarchy and there shouldn’t be any further party campaign,” he noted.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, while expressing shock on the postponement, accused INEC of compromise.
He described as lame the excuses advanced by INEC’s boss for the postponement.
“There is absolutely no reason for INEC to postpone the elections though it’s very obvious to all that the electoral umpire has been compromised, hence the reason being put up as the excuse for the postponement of the election are self-instigated.
“They had 48 months to prepare for the election only for them to call for postponement less than six hours to the election.
“That is the height of insensitivity and irresponsibility on the part of INEC and I think the INEC boss should take the path of honour by resigning his position, having displayed a high level of incompetence.
“It is clear to all that the outcome of today’s botched elections would have tilted toward the PDP, hence the failed APC-led government, having realized that Nigerians have rejected them and seeing the handwriting on the wall of a prospective defeat at the polls, connived with INEC to come up with such inexcusable logistics reasons for the postponement of the elections.
“Logistics reasons which they created by themselves, hence in the past 48 hours, we have been hearing bombing of INEC offices in some states, nonavailability of sensitive materials, destruction of uncollected PVCs and other excuses.
“All these were a calculated attempt by INEC in connival with APC to hoodwink Nigerians into accepting the postponement of the election in order to perfect their rigging plan,” he alleged.
However, after the shock that greeted the postponement, residents in Warri and other parts of the state have swiftly resumed their means of livelihood while security patrols of soldiers and police maintain a low appearance on the streets.
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