The national leader of the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has likened the postponement of the February general elections to capturing democracy at gun point.
Tinubu claimed Nigerians were not happy over the postponement adding that it was an antic by the ruling party to perfect its rigging strategies.
The former Lagos State Governor expressed this via his twitter handle this last nights. According to him, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman Professor Attahiru Jega dropped the ball by succumbing to pressure and blackmail.
He said,”The postponement of the Feb. 14 elections is a mere pretext by the PDP to gain time to perfect their rigging machine. Nigerians are unhappy.
“This is democracy at gun point. Our democracy is now at the mercy of the gun. Jega caved in to pressure and blackmail.
“What is new about the security situation in the last one week that has not been there in the past 3 years to warrant this postponement?
“The service chiefs are being clever by half By playing the script of the ruling party. They do their profession great harm and Nigeria damage.
“Nigerians are not ignorant of the plots/sub plots for postponement. An incumbent that pulls all the stops to postpone elections is a loser.
“For the ambition of one man and his partying cronies, the rights and interest of 68 million voters is violated There is a dictator in charge
“The APC will counsel its members and Nigerians to be calm as the party processes this. We know there is no stopping the wind of change.
“Let’s dissect carefully what was said. Postponed not because of security situation per se but because army decided to go on a belated offensive,” he tweets.
Towing the same line of thought, the chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has described the postponement of the February elections till March 28 and 11 April, as a ‘major setback for Nigeria’s democracy”.
In a statement after the Independent National Electoral Commission gave the new date, Oyegun said his party would hold an emergency meeting on the issue. But he also appealed to the party supporters to maintain calm.
” All Progressives Congress, APC has just heard over the news media that The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decided to postpone the elections by six weeks on the strength of a letter by the security chiefs that they cannot provide security for the elections nationwide because of the commitment of its resources to fight insurgency in the north eastern part of the country.
“This is clearly a major setback for Nigerian democracy, and our Party is meeting in emergency session to study its implications and will inform Nigerians of its decisions in the next few days.
“In the meantime though what has happened is highly provocative, I strongly appeal to all Nigerians to remain calm and desist from violence and any activity which will compound this unfortunate development. We must not fall into this obvious trap. Change we must. They can only delay it; No one can stop it.
“I want to assure all Nigerians that the All Progressives Congress will not abandon its commitment to change and will sustain the struggle to establish a new Nigeria, the statement read..
