The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) says the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deserves commendation for adjusting the timetable of the 2015 elections.
In his reaction on Saturday, Femi Fani-Kayode, the director of media and publicity of PDPPCO, said INEC had shown “courage” by shifting the elections “after acknowledging the fact that its state of preparedness was not 100 per cent”. He said: “Since this decision has been taken in the interest of deepening democracy and in national interest, we accept it in good faith and we commend INEC’s courage and obvious commitment to ensuring a free and fair election. “With this decision, INEC has allayed the fears of many of our citizens that they may not have had the opportunity to vote for the candidates and parties of their choice on Election Day. “INEC has, by the decision, ensured that no one will be disenfranchised and has helped to guarantee the safety and security of every single one of our citizens during the course of the elections. “We are constrained to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly condemn the opposition APC for its paranoid delusions and its far-fetched and childish conspiracy theories when it comes to the issue of poll shift. “By insisting that the elections should be conducted on February 14th the opposition was not only dangerously flirting with chaos but was also putting our country firmly on the path of confrontation, division, injustice, disaster and destruction. “This is especially so, given the fact that no less than 34 percent of eligible voters have not been able to access their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) up till today- just seven days before the original date of the election. A situation where such a large percentage of our people would have been disenfranchised is unacceptable and the fact that the APC was insensitive to that fact speaks volumes. “We are aware that INEC is having numerous logistical problems and numerous internal challenges and we believe that the poll shift will afford them the badly-needed time to tackle and resolve those problems and challenges before we arrive at the new dates that have been fixed for the elections. “We believe that INEC must have drawn a useful guide from available security reports from the North-eastern zone where, despite the very serious challenges that our people are facing there from Boko Haram, we believe that elections must hold. We must insist on this in order to ensure that no parts of the country lose their right to freely, safely and peacefully participate in the coming elections and to vote for the candidates of their choice. “It is against the backdrop of these developments that we commend INEC for finding the courage to do the right thing. In the same breath, we condemn the opposition APC leaders and members who are set to unleash confusion, mendacity and despondency everywhere and who are blaming everyone except themselves for the situation in which we have found ourselves. “It is a glaring testimony to their irresponsible and reckless disposition that they continue to insist on having an election on a date that the institution that is constitutionally charged to conduct that election has said that it would be impossible to go ahead under the present circumstances. “The shift of date is a welcome development. It is solely the decision of INEC. The decision is not ours but we commend them (INEC) for showing courage by owning up to the fact that they are not ready to go ahead on February 14th. The shift will help INEC to organise themselves properly, to put their house in order and to put in place all the necessary arrangements for the polls. The shift will also enable the nation’s security agencies to do what they have to in order to secure the north-eastern zone and ensure that elections can hold there. “In conclusion, we wish to encourage our supporters and we urge them to remain calm and to be patient. Our party is strong; our candidate is confident; our cause is just; our God is mighty and our victory is assured. No matter what happens and no matter how long it takes, we shall prevail. God bless Nigeria.”
The Peoples Democratic
Party Presidential Campaign Organisation (PDPPCO) says the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) deserves commendation for adjusting
the timetable of the 2015 elections.
In his reaction on Saturday, Femi Fani-Kayode, the director of media and
publicity of PDPPCO, said INEC had shown “courage” by shifting the
elections “after acknowledging the fact that its state of preparedness
was not 100 per cent”.
He said: “Since this decision has been taken in the interest of
deepening democracy and in national interest, we accept it in good faith
and we commend INEC’s courage and obvious commitment to ensuring a free
and fair election.
“With this decision, INEC has allayed the fears of many of our citizens
that they may not have had the opportunity to vote for the candidates
and parties of their choice on Election Day.
“INEC has, by the decision, ensured that no one will be disenfranchised
and has helped to guarantee the safety and security of every single one
of our citizens during the course of the elections.
“We are constrained to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly condemn
the opposition APC for its paranoid delusions and its far-fetched and
childish conspiracy theories when it comes to the issue of poll shift.
“By insisting that the elections should be conducted on February 14th
the opposition was not only dangerously flirting with chaos but was also
putting our country firmly on the path of confrontation, division,
injustice, disaster and destruction.
“This is especially so, given the fact that no less than 34 percent of
eligible voters have not been able to access their Permanent Voter Cards
(PVCs) up till today- just seven days before the original date of the
election. A situation where such a large percentage of our people would
have been disenfranchised is unacceptable and the fact that the APC was
insensitive to that fact speaks volumes.
“We are aware that INEC is having numerous logistical problems and
numerous internal challenges and we believe that the poll shift will
afford them the badly-needed time to tackle and resolve those problems
and challenges before we arrive at the new dates that have been fixed
for the elections.
“We believe that INEC must have drawn a useful guide from available
security reports from the North-eastern zone where, despite the very
serious challenges that our people are facing there from Boko Haram, we
believe that elections must hold. We must insist on this in order to
ensure that no parts of the country lose their right to freely, safely
and peacefully participate in the coming elections and to vote for the
candidates of their choice.
“It is against the backdrop of these developments that we commend INEC
for finding the courage to do the right thing. In the same breath, we
condemn the opposition APC leaders and members who are set to unleash
confusion, mendacity and despondency everywhere and who are blaming
everyone except themselves for the situation in which we have found
ourselves.
“It is a glaring testimony to their irresponsible and reckless
disposition that they continue to insist on having an election on a date
that the institution that is constitutionally charged to conduct that
election has said that it would be impossible to go ahead under the
present circumstances.
“The shift of date is a welcome development. It is solely the decision
of INEC. The decision is not ours but we commend them (INEC) for showing
courage by owning up to the fact that they are not ready to go ahead on
February 14th. The shift will help INEC to organise themselves
properly, to put their house in order and to put in place all the
necessary arrangements for the polls. The shift will also enable the
nation’s security agencies to do what they have to in order to secure
the north-eastern zone and ensure that elections can hold there.
“In conclusion, we wish to encourage our supporters and we urge them to
remain calm and to be patient. Our party is strong; our candidate is
confident; our cause is just; our God is mighty and our victory is
assured. No matter what happens and no matter how long it takes, we
shall prevail. God bless Nigeria.”
Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng/just-pdp-commends-inec-poll-shift | TheCable
Read more at: http://www.thecable.ng/just-pdp-commends-inec-poll-shift | TheCable
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