Buhari reads riot act to political thugs, ballot box snatchers; Urges APC agents to protect party’s interest

Ismaila Chafe

Abuja, Feb. 18, 2019

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that any politician that decides to sponsor political thugs to cause trouble or to snatch ballot boxes in the rescheduled elections will be doing so at great risk.

The President read the riot act at the All Progressives Congress (APC) emergency National Caucus meeting on Monday in Abuja at the party’s national secretariat.

He stressed that security operatives had been ordered to deal with any such persons ruthlessly.

The APC caucus meeting was called by the party’s national leadership to discuss matters arising from the postponement of the earlier scheduled Feb.16, Presidential and National Assembly elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The APC caucus is a statutory organ of the party, and it is chaired by President Buhari.

Its members  include the Vice President and all the party’s former and serving governors and members of its National Working Committee (NWC), among others.

“Anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or be a thug, will be dealt with ruthlessly,” President Buhari said.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had early on Saturday announced the Commission’s postponement by one week of the presidential and National Assembly elections  scheduled for the day.

By the postponement, the Presidential and National Assembly elections will now come up on Feb. 23, while the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will come up on March 9.

Yakubu said the decision to postpone the elections was taken after a meeting with INEC Commissioners, citing “logistics’’ problems as issues that prompted the postponement.

He said the decision was further necessitated after reviewing the level of the commission’s preparedness for the exercise.

He stressed that postponing the elections was a difficult decision, but was necessary for successful delivery of the elections and to consolidate on Nigeria’s democracy.

President Buhari said he got the news of the postponement of the election at 4.30 a.m on the election day. He described the action as most unfortunate as the INEC had all the time and resources required to conduct the election.

“After the elections, we have to know exactly what happened, we cannot accept incompetence.

“The Constitution and the laws protect INEC, but they cannot take us for granted.  We have to go into details after the elections to find out what happened ” he said.

He advised the party’s members not to be deterred by the postponement, but to remain resolute.

He charged them to go back to their constituencies  and talk to the party’s supporters to come out en masse on Saturday to vote for APC candidates at all levels.

The President maintained that the APC remains committed to ensuring free, fair and credible elections.

He also challenged agents of the APC at the forthcoming elections to be vigilant and watch out for the party’s interests at the polling units.

President Buhari, who said he had garnered adequate support of the electorate to guarantee his electoral victory during the forthcoming presidential election, stressed the need for APC members to reassure their constituents to come out and vote on the rescheduled dates.

He urged all party members to always shun acts capable of disrupting the conduct of the rescheduled elections stressing that he had ordered security agents to deal ruthlessly with party thugs that try to snatch ballot boxes.

According to him, security agencies have also been directed to identify hot spots and be ready to move should they suspect any attempts to cause commotions or trouble by thugs irrespective of party affiliations.

On the postponed elections, he said “There is no explanation for what we went through. I was told about the decision of INEC at quarter to 5am in the morning of the elections.

“INEC had all the time and resources, they didn’t have to wait six hours to the elections to announce postponement.

“Definitely, INEC must explain to Nigerians what happened. The constitution and the law protects INEC, but they must not take us for granted.

“If we had failed to provide all what INEC wanted, then we would have been held responsible

“So at least after the elections we will have to go into details to find out what happened,’’ he said.

The APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, condemned the decision of INEC to postpone the general elections.

“We saw INEC’s magic. The worst had happened by postponing the elections by one week without cogent reasons.

“If we and ordinary Nigerians were shocked, then we can only imagine how shocked you were, more so as you are determined.

“This action was meant to frustrate our party and discourage voters.’’

He, however, stated that the party was determined to put INEC to shame, saying that, “we are committed to free, fair and credible elections. We are not going to compromise on that.’’

Oshiomhole used the occasion to commend President Buhari for his efforts for going round the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the just concluded nationwide campaign tour of the country.

According to him, the governing party is determined not to disappoint supporters and Nigerians.

Those who attended the meeting include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole.

Others were the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, APC members of the National Assembly and APC State governors from Lagos, Niger, Zamfara, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Borno, Bauchi and Kaduna states.