Political parties in the country are vowing to resume election campaigns following the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections which have been scheduled to hold on February 23.
Vanguard newspaper for Monday, February 18, reports that INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at a press conference on Saturday, February 16, noted that campaigns and collection of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) remained closed.
Front page Vanguard newspaper for Monday, February 18
Source: Original
But the political parties are insisting on resuming campaigns, citing Section 99 of the electoral act which allows them to campaign up till 24 hours before the polling day.
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The Punch newspaper for Monday, February 18, reports that two main political parties, the APC and the PDP have noted that the electoral laws allowed for campaigns to go on until 24 hours before polls.
Front page The Punch newspaper for Monday, February 18
Source: Original
The newspaper stated that a director in the Atiku campaign organisation, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, said INEC should allow parties continue campaign following the postponement of the general elections.
“Nobody asked that the elections should be delayed. So, since the elections have been postponed, they (INEC) should allow everybody to campaign.
“Everybody knows that what the electoral law says is that campaigns can continue until 24 hours to the elections so, since the elections have been postponed by one week, political parties should continue with their campaigns, Kwankwaso was reported to have told the BBC in Kano on Sunday, February 17.
This was the same argument made by the PDP national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, who objected to the prohibition of open campaigns by INEC.
“Our position is predicated on the clear provision of Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act, which stipulated that “for the purposes of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day,” he said.
“The clear import of this provision, in the current situation, is that given the postponement of the elections to February 23, the 24 hours requirement for closure of all public campaigns falls on the midnight of February 21."
Meanwhile, the presidency has stated that there is no plan to remove the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, over the abrupt postponement of the general elections.
There had been suggestions that President Muhammadu Buhari was planning to remove Yakubu over the election postponement.
But the Nation newspaper reports that the senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, dismissed report as untrue.
Front page The Nation newspaper for Monday, February 18
Source: Original
“Those reports are utterly baseless and false. There is nothing like that.
“Whoever is saying the President is removing INEC chairman is just displaying his illiteracy. Let him go and read the constitution.
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“You need a resolution by two-thirds majority of the Senate for any such action,” Garba Shehu said.
In a related report, Nigeria’s security agencies have absolved themselves of blame for the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections.
This Day reports that the Nigeria police force, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army, who are members of the logistics committee, set up by INEC for the general election, said they offered the commission the best support ahead of the exercise.
Front page This Day newspaper for Monday, February 18
Source: Original
Meanwhile, many voters who wanted to return to Lagos and Abuja after the postponement of the presidential election were stranded as multiple flights to Asaba, Benin, Uyo, Enugu, Calabar, among others, were cancelled.
The Guardian report that the stranded air passengers on Sunday, February 17, decided to travel by road after hours of waiting at the airports. One of the airlines - Air Peace, blamed the poor visibility on the harmattan haze which led to the cancellation of some of its flights.
Front page The Guardian newspaper for Monday, February 18
Source: Original
The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) also dismissed suggestions that it planned to restrict air movement before, during and after the scheduled presidential and National Assembly elections.
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