By Nuel Suji, Abuja.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) senators in the National Assembly have condemned the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to postpone the February 14 and 28 elections.
A statement by the group’s spokesperson, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, who is representing Ekiti Central in the upper chamber, described the postponement as a ‘teleguided plot’ by the Peoples Democratic Party, to derail democracy.
Ojudu said, “What we are seeing is a desperate and jittery response to the imminent defeat of the PDP. The postponement has shown the helplessness of INEC in the face of a malicious cabal bent on destroying the fabric of democracy.”
The group said the decision has raised a big credibility question on INEC and the forthcoming elections.
He said, “This decision is borne out of fear of defeat and malice against the people of Nigeria in the face of the overwhelming support the APC command across the country.
He said that the PDP leadership in collaboration with INEC have put Nigeria in extremely bad light in the comity of nations.
The senator added that the postponement “is a diversionary tactics which undermines the aspirations of Nigerians and dims the hope for change in a country that in the past has seen bitter upheavals due to similar partisan posture of the election umpire.”
He alleged that the INEC has placed itself above the interest of the people adding that the action of the electoral body, run contrary to the decision of the Council of State.
He said, “The action of the PDP will have serious negative impact on the economy. It will spur public distrust, dampen people’s morale and deplete the resources of stakeholders in the electoral process.
“This action has brought the integrity of Nigeria into an all time low. It has deepened the political crisis engineered in the first place by the PDP”
He said the INEC and the PDP leadership did not consult the opposition which is a major stakeholder in the political process adding that the action was a unilateral decision of INEC.
