INEC Moves Edo Polls …Yields To Security Concerns

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has fixed September 28, 2016 for the Edo State governorship election.
The commission had earlier announced a shift in the election by two weeks from the initial date of September 10.
However, an observation from the Edo State Government necessitated a further shift in the date of the election by four days from the September 24 it was moved to.
That weekend is the coronation ceremony of the new Oba of Benin, Prince Erediauwa
The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu has given approval for the postponement. Soyebi said INEC as the body statutorily set up to conduct elections in the country took the decision after due consultation with critical stakeholders following concerns raised by the police and the DSS on the volatile security threats.
It would be recalled that following security report on the election from the police and the Department of State Security Service (DSS) recommending postponement, citing security concerns, INEC went into consultation on whether or not to shift the election date.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Wednesday that it has begun consultation on the fate of Saturday’s governorship election in Edo State, following calls for its postponement over security threat.
The Deputy Director of Voter Education and Publicity at INEC, Mr Nick Dazang, had disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Abuja.
The police and the Department of State Services (DSS) had earlier on Wednesday, advised the commission to postpone the election over planned attacks in some communities in the state and others by suspected insurgents.
The force spokesman, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Don Awunah, had raised the alarm at a joint news conference by the police and the DSS in Abuja.
He said that “credible intelligence available to the agencies indicated plans by insurgent and extremist elements to attack vulnerable communities and soft targets’’.
Awunah said that Edo was among the states earmarked for the planned attacks by the extremists between September 12 and September 13.
However, as at press time yesterday, The Tide gathered that the police high command was sticking to its position, saying that if the commission goes ahead with the electoral process, it may not be in a position to guarantee the safety and security of INEC officials detailed to conduct the election on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party has rejected the postponement of the Edo governorship election, saying that the Saturday September 10, 2016 election date should remain sacrosanct since there is no tangible reason(s) evident to tamper with the election. In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday, the spokesman of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye said the “postponement of the election by top hierarchy of the security agencies predicated on alleged security threat was a less than ingenious attempt to buy time for the APC which is clearly heading for a major electoral catastrophe on Saturday.
“It is shameful and indeed a major constitutional breach for the security agencies to act in concert with the APC to truncate an election that had been planned for months. Nigerians were not deceived by the obvious concoctions of the security agencies whose performances during elections have been less than average since the advent of the Buhari Administration.
Indeed they have become instruments in the hands of the Ruling Party to harass, intimidate and punish opponents.” Prince Adeyeye declared. He said the time may be ripe now for President Buhari and the National Assembly to conduct a non-partisan holistic review and investigation of the national security apparatus to save our fledgling democracy.
“The postponement of the Election by INEC is illegal, unconstitutional and a breach of the people’s trust in the commission and the security agencies. It is a coup against the people of Edo State in particular and Nigerians in general.
Since APC assumed power, virtually all elections conducted by INEC have either been inconclusive or truncated. Saturday’s election in Edo State must be an exception. We will not accept anything less than free, fair and transparent election conducted and concluded the same day.
INEC must rise to the occasion to restore the confidence of Nigerians in its operations. Edo is a test case. With the way INEC is performing, how are we sure that it would be able to handle the 2019 national elections. Our democracy is under a serious threat from the APC and its Gestapo security agencies.”
“Finally, we call on all stakeholders – the media, civil society organisations, all political parties and indeed all Nigerians and the international community to rise to defend our hard-earned democracy from the assault being unleashed on it by the APC Government,” he said.
Similarly, Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has described the postponement of the Edo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a very bad signal and beginning of the end for democracy in Nigeria, adding that; “it is obvious that the All Progressives Congress (APC) feared that it can’t win the election and is ready to employ whatever crude means to subvert the wish of the people.”
The governor, who said he was alarmed by the APC government of President Mohammadu Buhari’s use of security agencies to arm-twist democratic process said; “I warned Nigerians not to elect Buhari because he lacked capacity mentally, morally and intellectually to superintend over any civilised society, now we are all seeing the results.
Our economy is in recession and democracy is also in recession!” In a statement yesterday, signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose said INEC knew that it was not going to conduct the election on Saturday as scheduled but opted to deceive Nigerians. He said; “apart from the security agencies that they instructed not to provide security for the election, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was under instruction since yesterday (Wednesday) not to release electoral materials to INEC.”
“It was just a game by the APC-led Federal Government to frustrate the people of Edo State from kick-starting the journey of changing the APC one-chance change in Nigeria, but they should realise that the power of the people will always be greater than the power of those in power.
“How can you postpone an election less than 48 hours to the scheduled date? What manner of security concern could prevent an election in just one State when elections were held in Northeast States that are confronted by Boko Haram insurgents?
“Obviously, this is a sign of what to come in 2019 and Nigerians should not be amazed if in 2019, they tell us that elections cannot be conducted.
“This is sad! It is a sad commentary for democracy in Nigeria and I only hope this Buhari’s APC government will not collapse democracy in this country,” the governor said.
While calling on the people of Edo State to remain steadfast in their resolve to vote out the APC government, which has become a government of hunger, poverty, job loss, economic and political recession, insecurity and unprecedented sufferings, Governor Fayose said; “Let them keep postponing their evil day, Edo people should just be vigilant and wait patiently for that day that they will use their votes to change the APC one-chance change.”