THERE are no plans to postpone the general elections scheduled for February 16 and March 2, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said yesterday.
INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu assured Nigerians and the international community that no election will be postponed.
The INEC boss spoke on a day the United States (U.S) said it has no preferred candidate.
Its Consul-General in Nigeria, Ambassador John Bay, who was in Bayelsa State yesterday, said that the U.S. was only interested in free, fair and credible elections.
There are pending legal tussles from the primaries organised by political parties suggesting that INEC may have to postpone some elections.
But Prof Yakubu told stakeholders at a meeting organised by INEC that the commission will not be swayed into postponing any of the scheduled polls.
He noted that the commission has been dragged to court for 640 times and received 540 applications for the Certified True Copy (CTC) of documents.
Yakubu promised that the commission under his watch will continue to obey all court orders, assuring that it would not be deterred in the discharge of its functions.
He said: “Court cases arising from the conduct of congress and primaries have risen to 640. INEC has been dragged to court 640 times, we have received 540 requests for certified true copy of documents. We have received 186 petitions over the conduct of congresses and party primaries.
“It is the policy of INEC to obey court orders. People ask if the judgments from these courts are decided close to elections if INEC will postpone the elections, INEC will not postpone any elections but we will make contingency arrangements in case some of the orders come close to elections.”
The INEC chairman also assured the stakeholders that he would “never fail Nigeria and Nigerians.”
He reiterated that the commission printed the total of 14.2 million PVCs after voters’ registration adding that those cards were ready for collection.
