PH Mundial – Port Harcourt Online Newspaper News Across The Region
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By Joel Anekwe
Political parties, candidates, party chieftains and residents in Rivers State have reacted variously to the early morning Saturday announcement by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), postponing the general elections to February 23 and March 9, 2019.
Many expressed disappointment and frustration over the rescheduling of the general elections in which the Presidential and National Assembly ballots would have been conducted on Saturday, complaining against the timing.
They expressed anger on how the change in dates of the elections impacted on their personal programmes and economic well-being, wondering the challenge individuals who had fixed their personal, family and other social events like marriages and burials on February 23 and March 9 went through.
“And how about the millions of Nigerians that travelled to their constituencies away from their places of residents to exercise their franchise? Imagine the disruption this postponement had on their programmes,” stated Emmanuel Meziobi, a self-employed resident of the city.
He added however that he was not surprised by the decision of INEC to postpone the polls adding that he had expected the postponement to affect only Rivers State.
He explained, “I was not surprised by INEC’s decision. Up until late Friday essential materials for the elections had not left the Central Bank of Nigeria, Port Harcourt premises so I was not surprised when the announcement came. I only thought the challenge was peculiar to Rivers State alone.
“My take is that INEC and politicians should allow this election to come and go so that ordinary Nigerians who hardly benefit from their activities would return to their different endeavours. The distractions and losses are becoming too much and unacceptable,” he stressed.
Emma spoke the minds of the millions of residents who engage in micro and small scale enterprises to sustain themselves, who were denied the daily opportunity to generate their daily income.
For example the ever busy and boisterous Mile 1 market and other adjourning markets were a shadow of their true selves as only few people opened for business with near total absence of customers.
Port Harcourt roads and streets known for traffic jam were free from one end to another and even some few smart commercial bus drivers who came out to operate were frustrated by few passengers on the road.
One resident told our correspondent that concerning the movement of materials, it appeared that INEC officials had an inkling on the eventual rescheduling of the elections because as late as 5pm Friday, it was widely reported that the commission was yet to commence the distribution of essential materials.
As of Monday morning, scores of commercial buses hired for the transportation of the materials were still parked at the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Port Harcourt. Our Correspondent reports that few of the owners of the buses trying to leave the place.
In his reaction the governorship candidate of the Accord in Rivers State, Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs expressed concern that the suddenness of the decision must have caught all stakeholders by surprise, but encouraged Nigerians and the international community to maintain faith in the process.
According to Lulu Briggs, “INEC is managed by eminent Nigerians who should take decisions in national interest. We should therefore give them the benefit of the doubt and patiently wait for the next scheduled date. It is better to get it better done later than rush into an election that may have credibility issues”.
“We must as a people bear the sacrifices that would help us get things better. Yes, the rescheduling has cost us enormous economic, social and philological resources as a nation, political parties, politicians and even citizens, however, no price should be too much for us to pay for the good of improvement of our country. Let us get out and do it on the new date for the good of Rivers State and Nigeria”, he said through a statement signed by Dason Nemieboka, spokesman of the Dumo Lulu-Briggs Governorship Campaign Organization.
In its own reaction the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State urged members in the to remain calm and not to be daunted by the postponement of the 2019 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Chairman of the party Felix Obuah, in a statement regretted the action saying it was shocking and embarrassing calling on the people to remain peaceful and wait to exercise their franchise on the new dates of Saturday, February 23, 2019 and Saturday, March 9, 2019, respectively.
He stated that INEC has only succeeded in temporarily postponing the ‘doomsday’ for the APC, adding however that ‘APC’s doomsday’ cannot be cancelled.
“It is an incontrovertible fact that Rivers people and indeed all Nigerians are united in the quest to do away with the APC. Postponement of the election or not, APC’s doomsday is inevitable and must come”, he said in the statement signed on his behalf by Jerry Needam his special adviser on Media and Publicity.
Obuah said Nigerians and particularly Rivers people are poised to send the APC packing who had inflicted so much pain, sorrow, hunger and hardship culminating in untimely deaths.
He said the party empathized with Rivers people who have expended so much resources and time to travel to their respective communities for the election, urging them to ‘take their anger, waste of resources and time’ to the election next Saturday; and ensure that the APC is out.
“The anger and disappointment arising from this INEC-APC conspiracy should sufficiently embolden Rivers people to troop out enmasse on the rescheduled dates, so that the APC would become a thing of the past,” Obuah declared.
Also reacting, a chieftain of the APC in Rivers State, Prince Tonye Princewill said he could not speak for the party adding that he stood by the position of Festus Keyamo, the spokesman of the Buhari Presidential Campaign Organization.
He however said: “As regards our candidates, we intend to take full advantage of the opportunity the extra time has afforded us”.
Security was still very high in the state especially around the Central Bank, Port Harcourt and the Rivers State headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC with a detachment of heavily armed soldiers around the premises of both institutions.
As of As Tuesday afternoon, only few shop operators were opened for business and very few commercial vehicles plying the roads with just few passengers to convey.
