CUPP hails postponement of elections by INEC

chika ebuzor

February 16, 2019 2:02 PM

INEC announced that the elections will no longer hold on Saturday, February 16, 2019, after an emergency meeting.

INEC Boss, Mahmood Yakubu

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has hailed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for postponing the elections.

INEC announced that the elections will no longer hold on Saturday, February 16, 2019, after an emergency meeting.

The electoral body, in a statement signed by its chairman, Mahmood Yakubu cited logistics challenges as the reason for the postponement.

CUPP accuses APC

According to Vanguard, the CUPP accused the APC and security agencies of plotting to manipulate the elections.

The organisation also praised Yakubu for postponing the election and avoiding bloodshed.

According to CUPP spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, “The Coalition of United Political Parties, CUPP, believes strongly that the desperation of President Muhammadu Buhari and his men to win the presidential election by all means caused this last minute postponement of the election.

“In their bid to once again foist an unpopular government on Nigerians, they threw caution to the winds and started setting electoral materials on fire in states that are well known to be strongholds of opposition.

“These acts of sabotage, no doubt, ruined the preparations of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the elections.

“We have raised the alarm many times that agents of the government were working hard to ensure that elections are not held or are declared inconclusive in areas they know that the All Progressives Congress will never win. We have been vindicated.

“We blame the international embarrassment this last minute postponement has caused the nation on the President, the desperate leaders of his party, APC, and the nation’s security agencies who failed woefully in their duties to protect electoral materials and INEC offices from attacks by these enemies of the nation.

“We call on the security forces to sit up and ensure that these enemies of democracy are not allowed to have their ways again.

“We make bold to say that with the postponement, President Buhari’s judgement day with the people has just been shifted .

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“INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has shown courage by shifting the election to avert national bloodshed because we are aware that

APC wanted to proceed with election after compromising distribution and destroying materials in over 15 states.”

Several Nigerians have expressed displeasure over the postponement of the elections.

Also, the Vice-President candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi has called for calm.