AGENE GODWIN ,Benin
Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC has confirmed that the Edo State gubernatorial election slated for Saturday, September 10, 2016, will hold as earlier announced.
Addressing the press, the National Commissioner in charge of Voters Education and Publicity, Mr Soyebi Solomon, said the Commission does not take orders from anyone, noting that the INEC is fully ready for the conduct of the election.
According to him “We have weighed all the consequences of the postponement of the election and we have come out with the decision to go ahead with the Saturday election.”
He said that as at yesterday, the Commission had reached not less than ninety seven per cent level of preparation for the conduct of the election.
Except the actual conduct of the election, he explained that the Commission had scrupulously implemented all the items listed in the Timetable And Schedule of Activities for the Edo governorship election which it issued in March this year.
Prince Soyebi stressed that the Commission would not be teleguided and that it would not do anything that would mortgage Nigeria’s democracy.
He further emphasized that the Commission robustly considered the implications of demobilizing and arrived at the fact that it was more expensive to do so.
He however said that INEC was going to meet with Stakeholders with a view to putting in place all that is needed to ensure a hitch free exercise.
Soyebi further urged voters to come out and vote, stressing that “there is no need for fear of any kind.”
But kicking against the decision of INEC,an accredited observer in the state, Centre for Credible Leadership and Citizens Awareness said the security signal should not be treated with levity.
Dr. Nwambu Gabriel who spoke on behalf of the body said a week’s shift in the electoral programme will not mean any harm to the state.
According to him “With utmost amazement we saw some comments by some persons stating their own reasons why INEC should not heed the advice by security operatives on the basis that it tantamounts to undue interference by the executive arm of government. This argument further buttresses the fact that the Commission must have compromised on its neutrality on the election if a postponement is announced by the Commission.
“May we as a coalition of INEC Accredited Observer groups remind politicians, the Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmoud Yakubu, electorates in Edo State and Nigerians in general that consequent to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the primary aim of government is to provide security for its citizens. Therefore, life is superior to any other purposes of government.
“Again, no responsible government would fold its arms and neglect a superior intelligence concerning terror attack from very credible security operatives in Nigeria such as the DSS and a law enforcement agency as the Police and wait until, God forbid, such a terror attack occurs.
It is only then that the same Nigerians who advised that INEC should undermine such sensitive issue on terror attack would also be the first to blame INEC and the security agencies for non performance.
“Another germane justification for a possible postponement of the Edo state Governorship election is the issue of SSCE/WAEC Mathematics exams on the same Saturday. Now apart from the fact that so many eligible, registered voters would end up being disenfranchised, the restriction of movement would amount to a waste of time thereby giving room for possible free movement of arms by hoodlums who might see it as an easy means to perpetrate terror attack and heinous crimes across the state. Yet again, the security agencies would be blamed for not doing their job,” he added.
