The All Progressives Congress, APC, has alleged that proponents of a shift in the 2015 election date are planning to sponsor nationwide protests against the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The APC says the protests are planned as a means of coercing INEC to shift the elections, billed for February 14 and 28.
This was contained in a release signed by Lai Mohammed, National Publicity Secretary of the APC in Lagos on Friday.
The spokesman alleged that those clamoring for the polls to be shifted are equally seeking to instigate the National Youth Service Corps members, that would have served as ad-hoc staff for INEC during the polls, to say they would not be safe in some parts of the country during the elections.
He stressed that “there would not be shortage of volunteers willing to serve as ad-hoc staff even if the NYSC members refused to participate in the elections in some parts of the country.”
Mohammed said “it has also come to our notice that these election-shift proponents are holding clandestine meetings with various groups, including a section of the media, to recruit them for their dubious campaigns to force a postponement of the elections.”
He added that “all the shenanigans of the election-shift advocates will fail as Nigerians have seen through them and have stepped up their collection of PVCs in readiness for the elections.”
He further said “the assurances by INEC that 65 million PVCs are now ready and that the remaining 3.8 million will be ready in due course have heightened the belief among Nigerians that the electoral umpire is indeed ready, willing and able to conduct the elections as scheduled.”
While the party called on INEC to speed up distribution of the PVCs to the polling units to spur collection effort, it urged Nigerians to make extra efforts to collect their PVCs to avert possible excuses.
“On our part, we will continue with our campaign for Nigerians to collect their PVCs, and we hereby restate our stand that under no circumstances shall we accept the postponement of the elections. We are ready for the February 14 and 28 general elections,” Mohammed said.
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