NIGERIA: Opposition reject new election date

The Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Progressive Change have both rejected the new date, April 4th, set for the parliamentary election, asking that the elections be conducted on April 9th, same day with the presidential election. In a statement signed by the its party secretary, Sen. Shuaibu Lawal, the ACN stated: “Given the sheer lack of capacity exhibited by the Operations Directorate, we are convinced beyond any reasonable doubt that INEC cannot between now and Monday, 4th April, 2011, account for all ballot papers already utilised, retrieve all sensitive materials in circulation and in the hands of various electoral officials nationwide. Added to this, is the fact that the same Operations and IT departments have not been able to avail political parties who are critical stakeholders in this exercise, the updated register of voters. “Taking cognisance of the fact that it is impossible for especially opposition parties to re-finance their agents sent to remote parts of the country and other logistical requirements given the extremely short time frame.” The presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change, Gen. Muhammad Buhari, shared similar sentiments. He was "concerned that only PDP/ruling party will have access to banks over weekend to pay party agent." INEC’s Stance Prior to this, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission had come out to say, in a press conference, that due to logistics reasons, the commission would be unable to carry on elections and that the parliamentary elections should be on Monday. But the opposition believe that if the guber and the state houses of assembly hold the same day, there is no reason why that of the national assembly and the presidential cannot take place the same day. The cost of a vote In various parts of the country, people came out to cast their votes, waited for hours but would not relent. Sparks of violence here and there, reports of incomplete materials and absent security personnel, a few of the things which threatened the success of the polls until its cancellation. When eventually the proposed election was cancelled, a woman, en route Aba to Onitsha in the South/Eastern part of Nigeria noted: “Hey, see Aba, so empty. So after losing today to voting, are we going to lose Monday profit again? Source: Omena ABENABE, AfricaNews reporter in Abuja, Nigeria < Prev   Next >