At around 12:30 AM Nigerian Time, Professor Attahiru Jega, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the body responsible for conducting elections in Nigeria, addressed the Nation. He announced that the elections would have to be postponed till Monday, the 4th of April, 2011.
The reason? Election materials, in particular, the EC8 form/result sheet, that is used to record the results of elections at the polling units arrived the country late and could not get to polling centers on time. He said the Vendors hired by INEC was to blame for this. The vendors had constanstly promised INEC that the election materials would arrive 5:30 pm yesterday evening but only got into the country at 9 am, this morning. The vendors blamed the delay on the Natural disasters in Japan, the scarcity of Boeing 747s for hire etc.
Various reactions have followed this postponement. The Lagos state governor, Babatunde Fashola, has said that he would not postpone secondary school exams scheduled for monday. This could lead to chaos as secondary schools are mainly used as polling units.
The Akwa Ibom Governor has also said his people should kick against the postponement of elections.
The President is yet to speak. He is en route Abuja from his hometown in Otuoke, Bayelsa.
This could degenerate into an electoral crisis if the President doesnt intervene and bring the governors and INEC chairman, Jega, into agreement.
What do you think?
This is a calculated effort of the ruling PDP of Luck Jonathan and do or die og Obasanjo to elongate their staying in the office more than necessary.
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Mike
From Benin