Some political parties in the country have faulted some Nigerians who called for the postponement of the forthcoming general elections.
They urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to go ahead with its plan to hold the elections as scheduled.
The PUNCH reports that the Chancellor, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Afe Babalola (SAN), had warned against the conduct of the elections with the 1999 Constitution.
“Any election conducted under the 1999 Constitution will merely result in recycling the same people who have brought Nigeria to grinding poverty, unemployment, underfunded education, insecurity, and huge external debt,” Babalola was quoted to have said.
The leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Elijah Ayodele, had also called on INEC to reschedule the elections.
The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, had however insisted that the commission is ready to conduct the elections as scheduled and does not anticipate any change in the agenda of activities.
In an interview with our correspondent, the National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Felix Morka, dismissed the calls for postponement of the elections.
“The call for postponement is his view; the country is going forward with the planned elections.
On his part, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, Major Agboh, also faulted the call.
He said, “Were the elections in the past not conducted with the 1999 Constitution?
“I think that is not patriotic enough because whether he likes it or not, we are in a democracy, and a president and governors have to emerge.”
The National Chairman of the Africa Democratic Congress, Ralph Nwosu, said the postponement will not help Nigeria’s democracy.
He said, “Postponement cannot help our democracy; INEC has assured us consistently from all the meetings that we have been to that they are ready to proceed.
“INEC, the body managing the electoral process is ready, the only thing that we need from the President is to show determination and get the security agencies, the intelligence agencies and others to key in.”
