The African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council has alleged plans to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the January 16 presidential election, warning against using Ebola as a reason to delay the poll.
In a statement signed by its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, on Wednesday, the council said it had received information that INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, would be instructed to change the election date.
“The Council has received information that the INEC Chairman is to be summoned to the Presidential Villa and instructed to shift the election. We are raising the alarm before that meeting takes place.
“Professor Joash Amupitan must refuse any instruction to change the timetable and immediately make any such approach public. The election date belongs to Nigerians. It must not be rewritten behind closed doors,” it added.Nigeria political analysis
The ADC campaign council said Nigerians had endured rising prices, declining incomes and economic hardship over the past three and a half years, insisting that voters should be allowed to assess the administration at the ballot box on January 16.
On the Ebola outbreak, the council acknowledged the public health risks but warned against using the situation as a political justification for postponing the election.
“Ebola is a serious public health concern. Health professionals must be free to contain it, and INEC must take every necessary step to protect voters and election workers,” it said.
The council also cited the position it attributed to the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC), saying there was currently no reason to postpone the election.
“The NCDC Director-General has said there is currently no reason to postpone the election. That position must not be twisted into a political excuse for delay,” the statement added.
The ADC campaign council called on INEC, domestic observers and international election monitors to scrutinise any proposal to alter the timetable, insisting that any decision must be transparent and backed by published health evidence.
