Fresh reports reaching NigerianEye suggests that there is some degree of uncertainty over tomorrow’s Presidential and National Assembly election as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, is currently meeting with stakeholders, including international and local observers.
The meeting is taking place amid some challenges that could affect the exercise. Materials needed for the elections have not been distributed in some states, NigerianEye learnt.
Already, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused INEC of conniving with the All Progressives Congress (APC) to postpone the polls.
But an INEC source attributed the inability to get materials across to some states to challenges with logistics, insisting that it is not deliberate.
“Those saying this is a deliberate act are being economical with the truth. Those states that are yet to receive voting materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria is as a result of one challenge or the other,” the source said.
“In some places, planes conveying the materials could not land because of bad weather… so it’s far from the truth that this is deliberate.”
But Osa Nehikhare, secretary of the PDP in Edo state, maintained that the commission is acting out the script of the federal government.
“It’s 7.00pm on the eve of the presidential and national assembly elections and materials for Edo are not available. This sabotage was orchestrated and a danger to our democracy,” he said in a statement.
“They want stand-alone elections so they can deploy their agents of intimidation and harassment.”
Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, also accused the commission of deliberately hoarding materials for the elections in some states to frustrate the PDP.
Fayose said he was aware that ballot papers and result sheets for presidential and senatorial elections were not in Ekiti as of 9pm, adding that only materials for house of representatives were distributed.
Speaking through Lere Olayinka, his media aide, Fayose said similar situations have already been reported in Oyo, Taraba, Edo, Niger, Ogun and Rivers.
Sources close to the commission revealed that the commission is discussing the possibility of shifting the date of the election over logistics problems.
More details shortly.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment