Again, INEC under pressure to postpone polls

• Group justifies shift
• APGA will participate in election

Exactly eight days to the rescheduled governorship polls, some political parties are again pushing for a shift in the election.

The Guardian learnt that four political parties had written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), asking that the polls be shifted to October 8.

Among the parties is the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), whose candidate, Osaro Onaiwu had said he would prefer a shift to either October 1 or 8.

Others included the African Congress of Democrats (ACD), the People for Democratic Change (PDC), the Alliance Congress Party of Nigeria (APPN) and KOWA.

The INEC spokeswoman, Mrs. Priscillia Imoudu-Sule confirmed the development to The Guardian yesterday.

She said: “We received a letter from four political parties asking for a shift, but that is not our duty. So we have forwarded the letter to the headquarters in Abuja, while we continue our preparation for the election fixed for September 28th.”

It was learnt that some other parties, which complained of inadequate funds wanted the date brought backward to September 24.

Meanwhile, a pro-Obaseki group, The Green Movement, has restated that the recent arrest of 54 suspected militants has justified the election’s postponement.

The group, in a release by its coordinator Mr. Felix Akeme, said the joint action by the security agents to postpone the election “actually saved the state from bloodbath.”

Stating, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” the group urged the public to be vigilant and report suspicious movement to the law enforcement agents.

It tasked the security agents to “be up to their constitutional responsibilities.”

However, amid the fresh calls for a shift, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) yesterday reassured its members that it would participate in the rescheduled polls on September 28 date.

APGA’s Director of Publicity, Mr. Ifeanacho Oguejiofor, spoke in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.