The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to exercise patience and not be provoked before the new dates announced for the exercise.
Atiku made the statement early on Saturday, moments after the general elections were formally postponed following mooted suggestions about it from Friday night when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) went into a meeting with stakeholders of the 2019 general elections.
In the statement, Atiku went further to state that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had more time and money to execute the general elections without hitch, only for the last-minute postponement to come up, basing it on the knowledge that Nigerians are determined to vote the All Progressives Congress (APC) out government at the polls which have now been scheduled to hold on February 23 and March 9.
The Independent National Electoral Commission chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, announced the postponement of the 2019 elections at about 2:40 a.m. on Saturday morning, barely hours after Nigerians were set to hit the polling units.
The elections would now hold on new dates scheduled as February 23 for presidential and National Assembly elections and March 9 for governorship and state assemblies elections.
“Dear citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as you know, the Independent National Electoral Commission has announced a postponement of the elections until 23 February and 9 March respectively.
The Buhari administration has had more than enough time and money to prepare for these elections and the Nigerian people were poised and ready to perform their civic responsibility by voting in the elections earlier scheduled for Saturday, 16 February, 2019,” read the statement from Atiku. It added: “This postponement is obviously a case of the hand of Esau but the voice of Jacob.
By instigating this postponement, the Buhari administration hopes to disenfranchise the Nigerian electorate in order to ensure that turn out is low on the rescheduled date.
Nigerians must frustrate their plans by coming out in even greater numbers on Saturday, 23 February and Saturday, 9 March respectively.
“Knowing that the Nigerian people are determined to reject them, they are desperate and will do anything in their power to avoid their rejection by the Nigerian people.
Their plan is to provoke the public, hoping for a negative reaction, and then use that as an excuse for further anti-democratic acts. As such, I call on all Nigerians to be patient.
We have tolerated the maladministration of this government for four years. We can extend our tolerance a few more days and give them our verdict via our votes. Maintain the peace and be law abiding.
Do not react to this provocation with anger, violence or any action that might be exploited by those who do not want this election to hold. Remain calm. We will overcome this. You can postpone an election, but you cannot postpone destiny.”
