President-Buhari
…Says INEC incompetent
…Reshuffle RECs
– Oshiomhole
…PDP aware of
election postponement
…APC to resume
campaign
President
Muhammadu Buhari on Monday gave matching orders to security operatives to deal
ruthlessly with election riggers and ballot box snatchers.
Speaking at an
emergency meeting of the National Caucus of the All Progressives Congress, APC,
at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja, President Buhari warned trouble
makers to stay away from polling centres during the rescheduled February 23
presidential and national assembly elections.
“I do not
expect anybody to make any disturbance, I have briefed the law enforcement
agencies and the military to identify hotspots, flash points, they should be
prepared to move.
“They too would
have made their own arrangement as possible and resources provided as much as
the country can afford it. Anybody who decides to snatch ballot boxes or lead
thugs to disturb it (elections) maybe that would be the last unlawful action he
would take. I have directed the police and the military to be ruthless.
“We are not
going to be blamed that we want to rig elections. I want Nigerians to be
respected, let them vote whoever they want across the party. I’m not afraid …
As you said; I have gone round all the 36 states and Abuja. I think I have
gotten enough support across the country.
“I am going to
warn anybody who thinks, he has enough influence in his locality to lead a body
of thugs to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system, he would do it at the
expense of his own life.”
He lampooned
the management of the Independent National Electoral Commission, over the
botched election describing them as “incompetent.”
President
Buhari lamented that he gave INEC all they required to conduct hitch-free
election and wondered why the Commission failed to conduct last week’s election
as scheduled.
Speaking earlier,
the APC National Chairman of Nigeria, Comrafe Adams Oshiomhole again accused
the INEC of working with the PDP.politicnigeriapn.blogspot.com
He declared the
INEC was aware the election was to be postponed and shared this information
with the PDP to save the party from wasting their resources.
Oshiomhole
declared that could swear by the Bible and the Quran that INEC is collaborating
with the opposition party.
He specifically
mentioned Akwa Ibom and Rivers states when he claimed the Resident Electoral
Commissioners, RECs, have turned themselves to PDP agents.
“We must insist
that elections should not be compromised and the Residents Electoral
Commissioners (REC) that have compromised the elections should be made to
account.’’
He consequently
requested that INEC reshuffle some of its senior officials to ensure their
neutrality.
The APC leader also kicked against staggered elections.
“We do not want
staggered elections,” the party chairman said.
He said that
INEC should tell Nigerians what it was doing between now and Saturday when the
presidential and NASS elections would be conducted.
“INEC violated
our confidence and must try to convince us to regain it,’’ he said.
He also said
that APC would continue campaign as INEC had no power to ban campaigns said the
action was illegal and unconstitutional.
“We are
entitled to resume campaign until 24 hours to the elections.’’
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