#Nigeriadecides2019:Nigeria’s two main parties condemn postponement of elections
Nigeria’s two main political parties on Saturday hit out at a decision by the country’s election watchdog to push back presidential and parliamentary elections by a week.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) cited logistical difficulties as the core reason for the postponement of elections after reports of widespread problems in the distribution of voting materials.
However, both the ruling All Progressives Congress and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party blamed the other for orchestrating the delay as a way of manipulating the vote.
According to President Muhammadu Buhari’s campaign spokesperson Festus Keyamo for the APC; the news came out as a “huge disappointment” and hit out at INEC for being unprepared.
Keyamo called on the body to remain impartial
“We have earlier raised the alarm that the PDP is bent on discrediting this process the moment it realised it cannot make up the numbers to win this election,We are only urging INEC not to collude with the PDP on this.”
While,PDP’s candidate on the other hand blamed the Buhari government for “instigating the postponement” and said it hoped to disenfranchise the electorate to ensure a low turnout.
“Nigerians must frustrate their plans by coming out in even greater numbers on Saturday 23 February” and for governorship and state assembly elections two weeks later, he added.
Abubakar further urged his supporters to remain calm.
“We will overcome this. You can postpone an election but you cannot postpone destiny,” he added in a statement.
