Nothing can stop Feb 23 elections, INEC chair tells international community

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National
Electoral Commission says “only an Act of God” can stop the conduct
of the rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly election
slated for Saturday.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu stated this in Abuja while
addressing a cross-section of the diplomatic community and
international election monitoring groups in Nigeria, for the 2019
General Election.

The briefing which was organised by the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs in conjunction with INEC, is aimed at engaging with friends
and partners of Nigeria on the rescheduled election.

Yakubu, who was represented by an INEC National Commissioner, Dr
Mustapha Lecky, said that the commission had put in place
everything possible to ensure the elections held on Saturday.

The INEC boss said that the commission had no reason to feel
that anything would stop the conduct of the election on February
23.

He said the commission had developed a six-point agenda of what
needed to be done to ensure the success of the election

He also said that the commission has completed the deployment of
materials.

“We believe that as a prayerful nation the act of God has been
assuaged and that things will go right, we have no reason to feel
that anything will go wrong.

“We have received all the materials, they have been checked,
audited, people have been informed, party agents have gone there to
check,” he said.

The official said that INEC had already taken responsibility for
the postponement and that the body was committed to surpass
achievement of previous elections in the country.

He blamed the postponement on logistics and problems associated
with the primaries of some political parties, which according to
him delayed the printing of ballot papers.

(NAN)