I met a lady who came from London to her hometown to vote. She took some few days off from her workplace and she is to resume work in London by Tuesday19th February.

She is disheartened because the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) have postpone the election and she has to go back without voting or wait till another day to vote and probably lose her job in London.

What about the expenses and risk of coming to Nigeria just to vote? There are so many other Nigerians that travel from various countries to Nigeria just to vote! What about so many other well-meaning and patriotic folks who travel from different part of the Nigeria to their voting location to perform their civic duty?

What happened to their expenses, the inconvenience, the risk and perhaps missed opportunities because the election have been rescheduled?.

That INEC had postpone yet another election is a sad commentary to our deep quest for thriving democracy.

Well, Attariru Jega started it all!

On April 2, 2011 around mid-day, Jega, the then INEC Chairman, announced that the scheduled elections that had commence in various part of the country would not go on due to unavailability of materials in several places.

People in different part of the country wanted Jega sacked, but Goodluck Jonathan kept his calm, like he has always done, and return to Abuja from Otueke.

2015 was not different. Only that time, the commission announced the postponement a week ahead of the scheduled time and gave insecurity as its reason.

The commission said "since it could not guarantee protection for its personnel and materials, as well as voters during elections, it had agreed to adjust the election calendar for the Nigeria’s security agencies to tighten up loss ends".

The election was postponed to six weeks later.

Between 2015 to date, INEC has changed leadership.

Mahmod Yakubu became the new Chairman of the commission after Jega. Under Yakubu leadership, the commission introduce another bizarre approach to what was unusual postponement that was existing.

It now inconclusive election. Almost all the election conducted after Jega left INEC has been from one inconclusive election to another.

It has been a weird tale of inconclusive and postponed elections in Nigeria.

Kogi State governorship election conducted on November 2015 was declared inconclusive. On December 2015, INEC declared Bayelsa State governorship election inconclusive.

Anambra State governorship election was also declared inconclusive by INEC despite naming the APGA candidate, Willie Obianao as the winner earlier.

The Edo State governorship election held on September 2016 was shifted by two week based on security reasons. On September 2018, INEC again declared the Osun State governorship election as inconclusive. It is only in Ondo and Ekiti governorship election that were not declared as inconclusive. So, INEC has become a cesspit of inconclusive and postponed elections.

Friends have misunderstood and misinterpreted my earlier post on this issue to mean that I am in support of this postponement. Far from it; I only stating that this act didn't start today and we need to be patient.

It rather disturbing to read some of the comments my friends were posting of Facebook and Twitter. I felt that it was better to have election postpone than to have good citizen being at conflict with INEC or government because of election mismanagement.

On that faithful 16th February 2019, President Buhari travel to Daura in katsina State to vote while former Vice President Atiku went to Jada in Adamawa State to vote. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in Ijebu and former Governor Gregory Peter Obi was in Onisha to vote.

Upon rescheduling the election by INEC, supporters on both sides have being crying foul. Both Buhari and Atiku had condemned the postponement.


All other patriotic Nigerians have also condemned the action. This is well-intended. Most persons I interacted with have call for the sacking of Yakubu. I have repeatedly told them that this may lead us to a constitutional crisis at the end.


Others have been cooking up allegations and spinning diverse conspiracy theories that may lead to confrontation, conflict and perhaps bloodbath if we are not forbearing as a people.

But if we go other way that will end up in conflict as a result of persons action and statements, Nigeria will not be safe for any person to dwell in. Nigerians must be tolerant at this time.

I have decided to be neutral in this election. But, I will not fail to advise my friends not to incite or ignited other persons to insurrection because the country is tense and we cannot afford any confusion this period.


Yakubu said the postponement was not as a result of incompetence, security lapse or political interference.

He listed the fire incidents in Abia, Plateau and Anambra states, asserting that the commission did its best to make sure that the challenges were tackled.

When the nation is trying to manage this quagmire, Boko Haram on the same day(16 February) attack and kill eleven Moslem worshippers in Maiduguri. This is an area were election was to taken place.

This is regrettable and condemnable.

As much as I will encourage us to remain patient and prayerful, the government and INEC must evolve new way of managing it logistics and operation issues at moment like this.


I suggest that moving election materials should be done like currency movement in Central Bank where mobile police squadron with Armour Personnel van will be deployed and assisted by military men.

In all locations and areas where election is to take place, armed military and policemen should escorts the movement of this material down to the polling units.

Military (Navy, Airforce, Army) should be drafted into the operational and logistics strategy and tactics of INEC.

In times of elections, Army should take charge of security of INEC facilities from the national headquarters to 36 State offices to 774 Local Government Office.

Nigerian military Intelligence and DSS operative should be deployed and fully utilised before, during and after the election.

If we don't begin to articulate and implement a security architecture and logistics strategy that will be driven by the military for our election, we may just end up disenfranching more people than imagined or INEC may just keep postponing the election indefinitely like it almost happen in River State re-run election.

All this one is story. If i no win on Saturday, wetin I gain?