The Campaign Director of the Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Governor Chibuike Amaechi, has insisted that President Goodluck Jonathan forced the postponement of the general election, ignoring the assurance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it was ready for the elections.
The Governor of Rivers State told Channels Television on Sunday that the INEC chairman, Attahiru Jega, had assured the State Council before the postponement of the elections that it was more prepared for the general elections than it was before the 2011 general elections.
He expressed dissatisfaction with the postponement.
“How will my party be happy with the postponement when Nigerians were ready for the elections and the President and the military will sit down and say, no, you cannot have election on that day.
“I hope that by March 28 they would have been able to decimate the Boko Haram. If they don’t, I hope they do not postpone the election again.”
He said that the election postponement was a wrong decision, as 80 per cent of the persons at the council meeting has asked the President not to ask for postponement.
“INEC chairman made a comment that was interesting. The INEC chairman said, if you say that the 2011 election was credible, Mr President, I am telling you that I am more prepared now than I was in 2011,” Governor Amaechi said.
Nigerians Want Change
The Rivers State Governor said that nothing had changed since the election was postponed till date, but the military had reported that it had taken back some communities in the volatile north-east under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists.
He further said that the fact that President Jonathan was not sure he would win the election made him force the postponement of the elections.
“Is the president saying that if he knew he would win the election on that day, would he have asked for postponement?
“If you like shift elections to May 29 or June 12, the truth is that Nigerians want change. Go to the street and hear. Nigerians want change and the things that the All Progressive Congress (APC) provide are change so they want to vote for the APC.
The APC governor further alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party was hoping to use the military to intermediate voters and rig the election.
“The military should ordinarily not be biased. They should be allowed to play their national role and not be used for politics.
“For the sake of ‘Nigerianess’ of the military, they should please, let the military alone,” he stressed.
The APC had continued to promise Nigerians that it would bring the change needed in the scheme of things, a promise Governor Amaechi said Nigeria was poised for and that “the south-south is poised for this change”.
While announcing the postponement of the elections on February 7, the INEC chairman said that the commission had been advised by the security chiefs to postponement the elections to enable the military reclaim some communities under the control of the Boko Haram terrorists.