CISLAC demands NASS investigation on election postponement

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), on Saturday, condemned as an abuse of independent power, the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to call off the presidential and National Assembly elections about five hours before the commencement of voting.

CISLAC’s Executive Director, Auwal Ibrahim Musa, in a statement, said INEC’s action was capable of eroding the credibility of the commission as an “independent body” before national and international observers.

The centre, therefore, called on the National Assembly to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate “the sudden postponement to clear the commission of public doubt that the decision was not informed by desperate desires of unjust individuals or groups who want to assume or sustain power by all illegitimate means.”

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“We are not unaware of systemic conflict of interests and questionable procurement process imbibed by the various positions in the Commission creating a tendency for mutual sabotage among the three (3) levels of appointees—National Commissioners, Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) and appointed relatives to the Directors in various departments.

“We are concerned by the wastages and losses the postponement would cause the country, civil society and international community that have committed whopping financial and human resources to deployment and observation missions to ensure free, fair and credible elections that will be acceptable to all

“Given the large presence of youth deployment for anchoring electoral processes and international electoral observation missions across the country, such abrupt postponement is a huge setback to our nation’s democracy which may breed electoral apathy and distrust at all levels.

“With the new electoral dates, giving the space of a week extension, we are as well worried for the safety, integrity and security of election materials which have been disseminated across the country

“We demand adequate security for both materials and human resources deployed by the Commission so far to the field to avert susceptibility to violations and attacks by unpatriotic individuals or groups across the country,” the statement said.