Arewa, Baraje disappointed, Musa, Ihedioha, Wamakko differ

VARIED reactions have continued to pour in since weekend’s announcement of the postponement of the February elections. 

   Yesterday, the northern socio-cultural organization, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), expressed shock and disappointment at the action, though it also appealed to Nigerians to be law abiding and support the new dates unveiled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

   The ACF National Chairman, Ibrahim Coomassie, said in an interview: “It is very clear today that INEC has been arm twisted to postpone the general elections. This is because there has been earlier indication that they were ready to conduct the elections.

   “The Chief of Defence Staff had said they were ready, the Inspector-General of Police had also said they were ready. Why suddenly do they decide to postpone the elections? What is happening and who is interested in the postponement? But, all I can say is that they can only delay the evil day, they cannot stop it.”

   Likewise, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abubakar Kawu Baraje, yesterday said the postponement was not only provocative but would impact negatively on the nation’s democracy.

   He told newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State, that the electorates have resolved to vote for the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, and that the postponement would not deterred them.

   He warned INEC and the Federal Government against any further postponement, alleging that the PDP intends to put in place an interim government.

   For the Chairman of Conference of National Political Parties (CNPP) and former Governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, however, the shift should be applauded because, “we have been vindicated by our position that the election should by postponed until we are really ready to conduct the polls.”

   Musa said it was hitherto clear that INEC was not ready for the elections going by the problems associated with the distribution of PVCs and the level of insecurity, adding that though he would not speak again till after a seven-day recess, the shift was the best thing that had happened to the country in recent times.

   Equally, the Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives and Imo State Peoples Democratic Party governorship standard bearer, Emeka Ihedioha, welcomed the shift even as he disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan had no hand in it.

   Speaking yesterday at a thanksgiving service at the Cathedral of Transfiguration of Our Lord in Owerri, Ihedioha the postponement would reduce tension in the nation and enable the INEC provide PVCs to those electorate that would have been disenfranchised. 

   There is “the issue of security and various complaints and agitations by over 2.4 million Nigerians who are yet to collect their PVCs, not because they don’t want to but because the cards were not available yet,” he said.

   On his part, Sokoto State Governor and APC senatorial candidate, Aliyu Wamakko, has called on indigenes to remain calm. However, in a statement he personally signed yesterday, he disagreed with the reasons given for shifting the polls.

   According to him, citing security concerns for the citizens “is untenable as the security situation has not escalated beyond its status when INEC wrapped the time-table. We condemn whatever ill-conceived motive behind the disruption of the electoral programme.”

   Admitting, though, that the period of postponement was within the INEC legal framework, Coomassie, however, queried: “What about the constitutional provisions of the transition from one government to another?”

   On calls from some quarters the INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, should resign because he has compromised with ACF, he wondered: “How can they say Jega has compromised with the ACF? Is it the ACF that I am the chairman of or which ACF? Since I became chairman, I have never met with the Chairman of INEC.”