TheCable

Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), took on Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), over the postponement of the elections.

Speaking at the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuja, where the commission held a press conference to explain the reasons for shifting the polls, Oshiomhole said the commission ought to have done more.

The APC chairman described the action of the commission as an embarrassment to the country, demanding Yakubu should tender an apology.

“Let me associate myself with some of the comments. We thank you for inviting us for this session and for all the explanation you have raised,” he said.

“What you have not explained, with due respect, is why did you have to wait till 2am this morning to realise that you have logistics challenges. Over the weeks, some people raised doubts whether INEC was in position to proceed with the election, you kept reassuring the country that you were ready.

“The cost to mobilise party agents to 176,000 polling units across the country. This entails huge cost and entail huge risk. Just as INEC has huge logistics, every serious presidential candidate also has huge logistics. But unlike INEC that can fall on public treasury, political parties have to look for resources to mobilise their agents to various polling points.

“Nigerians have been subjected to a rude shock, I think we should be honest, I’m shocked, I’m disappointed, I’m disgusted. If we know that it would be postponed, we would have saved a lot. For we the real players, it is a huge shock. I ask you, sir, why didn’t you inform us at least 48 hours earlier when you noticed that you have issues with weather, logistics – you didn’t know about all these until 2am this morning?”

Responding, Yakubu said the postponement was not deliberate. He said up till 2am, he and national commissioners felt the elections would go on.