Nigeria elections 2019: Postponement of polls, a national embarrassment – ECWA




Published
on
Following the postponement of the presidential and national assembly polls, the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), has called on Nigerians, especially Christians, not to be discouraged or lose hope in their aspirations and resolve to vote credible candidates of their choice into public offices.
The Church described the postponement as, “an international embarrassment” to the country considering the hundreds of observers both foreign and local who have been mobilized to different locations across the country to observe the elections.
ECWA through its President, Rev. Stephen Panya Baba, maintained that the postponement also led to huge economic losses for Nigerians who had traveled into the country from across the world and within to cast their votes.
According to the Church, the losses incurred, included businesses that had been shut down on account of the election and financially weak candidates from various political divides who had deployed all they had for the election.
“It is even more disappointing and difficult to understand that INEC despite her several assurances of preparedness are pointing to logistic problems as reasons for the postponement.
“I am struggling not to believe that there are no unseen hands outside manipulating the process for some personal or advantages without regards to the plight of Nigerians.”
While calling on the electorate not to despair, the ECWA President encouraged all citizens of voting age who have registered and have their Permanent Voter Cards to make further sacrifices to come out and cast their votes on the rescheduled dates.
“On its part, INEC under the leadership of Prof. Mahmoud Yakubu must do everything possible to ensure credible, free, fair, peaceful and acceptable elections come Saturday 23rd February, 2019.
“The management team needs to be truly independent, neutral and avoid every external negative influence to rewrite the wrongs and imprint their names on kind part of history,” he stressed.