ASUU flays elections postponement

The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Nasir Fagge, has expressed displeasure over the postponement of the general elections.

Fagge said there was no justification for it.

Fagge told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the security issue, which the shifting of the polls was predicated on, was not sufficient.

NAN recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission on Saturday night announced the rescheduling of the polls from February 14 and 28 to March 28 and April 11.

The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who announced the shift at a news conference in Abuja, said that presidential and National Assembly polls scheduled for February 14 would now hold on March 28.

Similarly, Jega said governorship and states’ Houses of Assembly elections was shifted from February 28 to April 11.

He gave security advice from the service chiefs as reason for postponing the elections.

Fagge said the nation’s security chiefs ought to have alerted INEC well ahead of time of their inability to guarantee security during the elections.

He said the current development would not speak well of Nigeria before the international community.

He expressed doubt if the six weeks extension would be enough to tackle the security issue believed to be the major reason for postponing the elections.

He said: “However, if the election umpire has been convinced enough to have the elections postponed, especially as it concerns security, then let us give them the benefit of doubt.

“All I can say at this point is to call on Nigerians to organize themselves very well and keep their eyes open.

“I also want to seize this opportunity to appeal to them to use this period to ensure that they collect their voter cards and ensure that they do not only vote but also ensure that their votes count.”

Commenting on the issue, a teacher at the University of Lagos, Prof. Solomon Akinboye, said there was nothing wrong with the postponement of the polls’ dates change as long as it did not affect the handover date.

Akinboye, who is Head of the Department of Political Science at the university, said since INEC had given reasons for postponing the elections, Nigerians were left with no choice than to accept it.

He said: “I have no problems with the shift in dates for the elections so long as they do not affect the handover date of May 29, which I consider sacrosanct.

“Again, the issue of security, I think it is very critical on occasions such as election even though INEC should have taken such into cognisance while preparing for the process.

“What should really matter here is for us to go back to the drawing board, see where we are having challenges, try and get it right before the new election dates.

“As long as they are convinced that they will also use the period to ensure that eligible Nigerians will all have their Permanent Voter Cards prior to the elections, then I do not have anything against the change in date.”

According to Akinboye, what the country needed at this point in time is a free, fair and credible election that would create a platform for accelerated development.

Dr. Ronke Ogunmakin, the Director of Media and Information of the National Open University of Nigeria, said there was the need for Nigerians to support the efforts of INEC in ensuring a free, fair and credible election.

According to Ogunmakin, if the postponement of the election is one of the indices that would guarantee a safe political electoral process, then the development is welcome.