Frontline politician and stalwart of the Northern Elders Forum, Junaid Muhammed, has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission, NEC, for alleged failure to “properly consult” the Federal Government before postponing the 2019 general elections that would have started with the Presidential election today, Saturday February 16.
Chairman of INEC, Mahmud Yakubu announced the postponement of the presidential elections around 2am Saturday, a few hours to the commencement of the election, citing logistic challenges. He said the decision was taken after a meeting of the national commissioners of INEC on Friday.
But speaking to TELL Magazine in Kano this afternoon, Mohammed said postponement of a general election is not a decision INEC should have taken without proper and comprehensive consultations.
He said he was certain that neither President Muhammadu Buhari nor Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was consulted on the matter. Asked whether he had spoken to any official of the Presidency before coming to such conclusion, the radical politician said he did not need to consult the presidency to know what is happening.
He said: “I have been in government before and I know how these things are done. This is not a decision INEC should have taken after a staff meeting. There should have been proper consultations with the government and all relevant institutions. It is not something that you just consult a handful of INEC Staff.The govt should have been properly consulted. I don’t believe the govt was properly consulted.”
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