Poll shift: CUPP hails INEC, accuses APC of sabotage

The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the postponement of the general election.

Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the commission, had announced the postponement at a press conference in Abuja.

He blamed the situation on the late arrival of electoral materials in some states.

In a statement on Saturday, Ikenga Ugochinyere, spokesman of CUPP, said Yakubu showed courage by moving the exercise by a week.

He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of planning for staggered elections, saying that could have plunged the country into disaster.

“The desperation of President Muhammadu Buhari and his men to win the presidential election by all means caused this last-minute postponement of the election,” the statement read.

“In their bid to once again foist an unpopular government on Nigerians, they threw caution to the winds and started setting electoral materials on fire in states that are well known to be strongholds of opposition.

“These acts of sabotage, no doubt, ruined the preparations of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the elections.

“INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has shown courage by shifting the election to avert national bloodshed because we are aware that APC wanted to proceed with election after compromising distribution and destroying materials in over 15 states.”

The coalition said the inability of INEC to conduct the election as earlier planned is an indictment on the security agencies.

“We have raised the alarm many times that agents of the government were working hard to ensure that elections are not held or are declared inconclusive in areas they know that the All Progressives Congress will never win. We have been vindicated,” the coalition said.

“We blame the international embarrassment this last-minute postponement has caused the nation on the president, the desperate leaders of his party, APC, and the nation’s security agencies who failed woefully in their duties to protect electoral materials and INEC offices from attacks by these enemies of the nation.

“We call on the security forces to sit up and ensure that these enemies of democracy are not allowed to have their ways again. We make bold to say that with the postponement, President Buhari’s judgement day with the people has just been shifted.”