ALMIGHTY INEC GIVES NIGERIANS A “HOLY SATURDAY”
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By Ife Adewole
Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has achieved a height any organization, corporation, commission, states and even the presidency has never achieved with the sudden postponement of elections in the early hours of the day of the Presidential and House of Representatives elections.
Few hours to the commencement of the election scheduled by INEC, prepared and anticipated for by Nigerians and all 91 political parties in the country, top INEC officials were suddenly summoned into an emergency meeting which resulted into the postponement of the long awaited elections.
Postponement of elections in Nigeria is not strange to the citizens, what actually makes the different was the sudden postponement on the day of election which renders the day redundant to must Nigerians as they cannot go to their place of work that same day again, traders are caught unaware and thereby left their shops locked despite the fact that movement was no longer restricted.
The sudden postponement of election has lead Nigerians to observe a “Holy Saturday” where the ever busy Lagos –Ibadan Expressway was scanty and very free of traffic, the number of buses plying Ikorodu road can be counted at a glance, the always crowded Oshodi market were locked, same goes to all other markets in Lagos including Wuse Market in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, as buyers and sellers has programmed their mind to stay indoor after casting their votes.
Interestingly, the “Owambe, ceremonies like Wedding, Burial, Birthday….” that any organization, cannot hinder in Lagos was suddenly terminated by the INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, without conducting elections.
If the Lagos state government had placed embargo on any event this Saturday, some individuals would have sued the state government, If a prophet, Imam or any religious leader gave the instruction in the name of Almighty God, some personalities would have winked, and go on with their ceremony.
Within few hours to the time of casting of the presidential and House of Representatives election the almighty INEC Chairman announced the postponement of elections and ironically declared the day a “Holy Saturday”.
If he do not intend to call the day a “Holy Saturday”, why did he not postpone the election at least 24 hours ahead, or could it be said that he is not a visionary leader that cannot foresee the situation of things until few hours to it commencement.
Did he not consider the Youth corps members who had sacrificed their bed and loved ones to sleep in a Local government or primary school close to the place where they will coordinate the elections, what of the foreign observers who had left their comfort zone to observe our nation’s election.
What should be said of the various #tags Nigeria Decides with today’s date and the several newspapers headlines that has dated today has a decisive day. Thousands of Nigerians who had traveled from one place to another just for them to cast their vote, party representatives among several others who had positioned themselves for the election only to wake up and discovered that the election has been postponed till February 23, and March 9, 2019.
Most all our nation’s election be postponed, in 2011 INEC postponed election, in 2015 election was postponed for a week. If it is a most for all of our nation’s election to be postponed, then INEC should learn to do that at least 24 hours before the day of elections. Otherwise, it will not be long before we would be seen as a joker.
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