Census postponement: Buhari listened to voice of reason, says Ortom

Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for postponing the planned population census. 

On Saturday, Buhari approved the postponement of the exercise which had been billed to take place across the country between May 3 and 5.

According to a statement by Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, the new date for the census will be determined by the incoming administration.

Reacting to the rescheduling, Ortom, in a tweet on his official Twitter page, said the decision showed the president listened “voice of reason”.

He added that a census “at this time would’ve been an injustice to millions of Nigerians who have been displaced and are in IDP camps across the country”.

Prior to the rescheduling, the planned date for the exercise had drawn criticism from stakeholders across the country.

Afenifere, the Yoruba socio-political group, described the timing as “inauspicious”.

The group said the “citizens are still incensed and distraught by the trauma of violence and brigandage of the elections”.

Similarly, Omotuyi Ademola had approached a federal high court in Abuja with an ex parte application seeking a postponement for six months.

He prayed the court to declare that the National Population Commission (NPC) is currently underfunded and therefore unprepared to conduct a credible, effective and constitutional census.

However, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, refused to grant the motion ex parte and asked the applicant to put the defendant, the NPC, on notice.

Ekwo said the NPC should appear in court to show cause why the applicant’s motion should not be granted.

The matter was adjourned until May 5.