Strong indications have emerged that the Edo State governorship election billed for September 10 might be postponed for two weeks. Top sources within the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and State Security Services (DSS) confided in The New Diplomat that there are strong pressures to have the elections postponed for two weeks. According to sources who preferred anonymity in INEC, the election might be postponed for another two weeks, if our proposal is accepted, due to some security information received by the INEC.
“The election might be shifted for two weeks to ensure a peaceful election in the state,” the source disclosed.
But top political players are accusing politicians of trying to use the instrumentality of these agencies to push the elections forward in order to buy some time to close existing political gaps. In fact, a top Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) member in Edo State accused the All Progressives Congress(APC) of plotting to postpone the polls because ‘’they want to buy time to catch up with PDP.’’ But in a swift reaction, the APC leadership in Edo accused the PDP of telling lies and trying to instigate public opinion against the APC. ‘’ How can we plan to pressurize for postponement? … Why… That is not true. We want the elections to hold as scheduled. Because we know we would win.’’
Meanwhile the Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS) had on Wednesday appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone the Edo governorship election based on certain security threats on ground.
The Spokesman for the Force , Deputy Commissioner of Police, Don Awunah who made the disclosure at a joint news conference by the police and the DSS in Abuja said, the credible intelligence reaching the agencies revealed plans by the Insurgent and extremists to attack vulnerable communities and soft targets between 12th and 13th of September, this year.
According to him, Edo State was among the states targeted for the planned attacks by the extremists and the postponement would afford the security agency to deal with the security threat decisively.
Despite the security threats and appeal by the DSS to postpone the election, INEC has not deterred from conducting the election. INEC has insisted that its agency would carry out the election exercise as scheduled in the state.
