The much envisaged poll shift lingered till the dead hours of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) earlier scheduled election date, this decision has successfully raised the suspended political hot dust from its initial low level haphazard motion to nearly above the horizon of the human eye, and following the unfolding of the plans of the presidency and the ruling party to avert the much anticipated and projected defeat they are mostly likely to suffer at the forthcoming March 28, 2015 presidential polls; the ruling party has embarked on a fresh pursuit to disarm the peoples general, which is capable of regressing our democracy and eventually scuttling the credibility of the forthcoming general elections.

Unarguably, the poll shift is not in conflict with the electoral provisions in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) which stipulates that elections must be held in not less than 30 days before the expiration of the present administration or 150 days after the expiration of the present administration, this decision has received accolades from Nigerians who believe that it was a good move by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission to stabilize the heated polity and to neutralize the tension generated in the political atmosphere by the top political players, while some politically prowess Nigerians who understand the undisclosed intentions of the presidency and the ruling party, have an otherwise submission that the poll shift following the ruling party’s influence on the refusal of the Nigerian Military to provide security for the electorate and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is nothing close or synonymous to a progressive decision but a daylight mischievous move to disarm the peoples general, which they believe will be synonymous to shooting oneself in the foot, as the extension will be in favour of the peoples general at the polls.

It is no fallacy that the aspiration of the peoples general to become the presidential flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was hit by countless attacks from the party at the center and few notable figures within the ranks of his political party, but the delegates of the All Progressive Congress (APC) from the length and breadth of the country swam against the tides and were staunched in their determination to deliver a large chunk of the votes in favour of the peoples general, as against the votes garnered by his contenders who are moneybags with affluence and influence both at home and in diaspora; the race to be handed the party presidential flag ended with a mixed reaction in the ranks of the ruling party, some projected a shocking defeat of the incumbent president and some ruled that the peoples general will give the incumbent president a run for his money, his power and history but will eventually concede defeat to the incumbent.

While the ruling party was putting up plans to remain in power at all cost, by showcasing its debatable achievements in six years in office, putting up sponsored campaign of calumny adverts on national dailies, instructed the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) to deactivate the short message code for the peoples general fund raising platform, making provocative messages on different online social media platforms, sponsoring mudslinging broadcasts on national and satellite televisions, and the use of violence coated words to sway timid voters in their advantage and also to intimidate their critics; the peoples general was busy reading out the manifestos of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as contained in their ‘Roadmap to a new Nigeria’, highlighting the shortcomings of the government of the day while providing an alternative approach as well and debunking false statements made by the ruling party, this has no doubt been helpful in educating the people on the need for a purpose driven government at a time when the Nigerian people need it the most.

From a typical Nigerian perspective, the plot of the presidency to supervise the replacement of the present leadership of the Prof. Attahiru Jega led INEC with someone else will undermine the confidence of the people in a credible electioneering process which will lead to an historical voter apartheid and will definitely witness a coarse reaction from groups of aggrieved people across the nation’s territorial borders which might append a signature to the proposal of disintegration or a regional autonomy from nearly all the six geopolitical zones, if the digits are manipulated in favour of the incumbent president.

In addition, the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) effort to curb the mischievous electioneering strives of the ruling party by introducing the use of card readers for voter authentication might not stand the test of time, going by the recent position of the ruling party and the presidency to yank the use of the multi-billion naira card readers, as this will scuttle their plans to manipulate the digits and give way for the use of the millions of the multiple registered temporary voters cards with strange, non-nigerian and non-african names, convincingly these cards were used by the ruling party to rig the 2011 general elections which reflected in the wide margin victory recorded by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) at the 2011 polls; per adventure, the presidency and the ruling party have their way in quashing the use of the permanent voters cards (PVC) in the forthcoming polls, then going to the polls will be a complete waste of time for Nigerians who are determined to change the incumbent administration because the results will be predetermined and estimated.

At this juncture, it is imperative for Nigerians to expect the unexpected from the mischievous moves of the incumbent administration to either remain as residents of our most prestigious Aso Villa or give in to a Military interim government, in order to avert conceding defeat to the major opposition party; no doubt, the move the ruling party as regards the poll shift is aimed at disarming the peoples general by promoting more mudslinging sponsored adverts, ensuring that his purse get drained, promote more legal litigation against the peoples general and his political party in order to quench the zeal and resilience of their teaming supporters; disappointingly, these has exposed the inability of the incumbent administration to promote its over blotted infinitesimal achievements in our Economy, Power, Trade, Production and Manufacturing, Agriculture, Education to mention a few.
If our democracy must remain and our coexistence become stronger, then it is important for us as a people to do everything within our reach to reject every mischievous move of our politicians who are hell bent on securing their loots even at the peoples peril; Nigeria belongs to all of us and we must protect her with our valuables and perhaps our body fluids, if need be.

Kazeem Sulaiman
sulaimanadeshina@yahoo.com

Please call him the Northern people's general or the Fulani general or the aboki general.
Don't call him the peoples general. Its stupid