Protesters Storm INEC Office & Demands Postponement Of General Elections

Protesters numbering about 100 stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Monday, demanding the postponement of this month’s general election. The youths gathered at the INEC headquarters in the Maitama District of Abuja asking it to delay the polls because of the difficulty in the distribution of the Permanent Voters Card, PVCs.

The protest confirmed Premium Times exclusive story of last Thursday revealing the plot by the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] to organize nationwide protest against the electoral body to force it to shift the polls.

According to the protesters, only 40 per cent of the poll had been distributed ahead of the February 14 and 28 elections. They also claimed that INEC needed 960,000 ad hoc staff but that at the time of their protest the staff had not been engaged. They argued that if the polls were allowed to go ahead as scheduled, several million Nigerians would not be able to vote.

The youth, who gathered at Unity Fountain beside Hilton Hotel before marching to the INEC headquarters on Zambezi Street, were bearing banners and placards with the inscriptions such as “Election is for general participation, not for selective few” “INEC, do the right thing,” “Don’t disenfranchise Nigerians,” “We demand for the extension of election to allow Nigerian exercise their franchise.”

After the protest, the youth returned to the Unity Fountain where they were sighted sharing money. It was not clear if they were sponsored by the Presidency or the PDP, but sources indicated that they were hired by some unnamed individuals who promised them money.

Source: Premium Times