Elections Postponed: INEC chairman shares surprising reasons why

The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has shared reasons for the postponement of the elections.

He stated the logistic concerns which had to be checked in order for the elections not to fail.

However, he mentioned that the elections were not postponed due to security, political influence or lack of resources.

Read some excerpts of the speech here:

“The 1 Week adjustment was a painful one for INEC but necessary in the overall interest of our country.

Our goal is to plan carefully, execute meticulously and bring stability to election management in Nigeria.

In a space of 2 weeks, we had to deal with serious fire incidents in 3 of our offices in Abia State, Plateau state and our Anambra state office in Awka.

I want to assure you that there will be a proper audit to account for all materials.

In the next few days, the commission will work on the basis of the following plan:

(1) Completion or confirmation of deployment of materials (Mon 18th Feb)

(2) The configuration of smartcard readers (Sun 17th – Thurs 21st)

(3) Receipt and deployment of sensitive materials to LGA (Weds 20th and Thurs 21st Feb)

(4) Refresher training for Ad-Hoc staff (Thurs 21st Feb)

(5) Deployment of personnel to the registration area centers (Fri 22nd Feb)

(6) Election Day (Sat Feb 23rd, 2019)

I want to appeal to Nigerians and all other stakeholders for their understanding in what has been a very difficult decision for the commission.

Our decision has nothing to do with security, political influence and nothing to do with the availability of resources. We believe that ultimately the decision is good for our democracy and for our country.”

Watch This: INEC blasted – ‘Logistics’ not a Valid excuse (Video)