Nigerians blast INEC for the shocking postponement of presidential elections

Just few hours before the commencement of the Nigerian presidential and national assembly elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) went into an emergency meeting, and announced the postponement of the elections till 23rd February, 2019 to the shock of millions of Nigerians.

NigeianEye was able to gather the thoughts of some Nigerians on social media

Read them below…

With a budget of N143 billion, and at least over a year to prepare for the elections.@inecnigeria had to wait till midnight to the D-DAY to tell Nigerians they are not ready!#NigeriaDecides2019

— LOLA (@CuteNaija) February 15, 2019

I can’t. Thinking about my dad that had to travel hours by boat with my cousins and uncles just so they could cast their votes. These people are ridiculous clowns #NigeriaDecides2019

— Esther (@HRM_estelle) February 16, 2019

1-Any postponement of the election scheduled to hold tomorrow is a #CoupAgainstNigeria and slap in the face of Nigerians, given that the government had enough time and money to prepare for the elections. If they postpone, don’t respond violently. Be patient to vote against them.

— Reno Omokri (@renoomokri) February 15, 2019

A lot of people had to travel to different parts of the country to vote, what will become their fate now?

The foreign observers that are in the country to monitor the election, Will they go back or wait for another one week? If they stay back, who caters for them??

— Mazi Olisaemeka C. ™ (@OlisaOsega) February 16, 2019

Schools, offices, livelihoods… were shut down for this. What now? Do you understand the loss to the economy and the democratic impact? You had atleast four years to streamline the process. Secure and open the polls to let people vote over a few days, etc. But no, sufferment. https://t.co/XULFFwiWTM

— Iman Abdulkadir (@iman_habeeb) February 16, 2019

It is on record that at 2:50 a.m on 16th of February 2019, @inecnigeria postponed the election scheduled for 7:00 a.m. same day to the 23rd of February (two weeks), in order to allow the ruling party (APC) finalise it’s rigging strategy.

Good morning Nigeria#NigeriaDecides2019

— #FreeDejiNOW🐬 (@Adufe_ga) February 16, 2019

This is a country where life pauses for elections to hold and you chose to postpone hours before. When we think we’ve reached hell, they go lower.

— Bee! (@soibomari) February 16, 2019

No one can tell me otherwise. This postponement is voter suppression.

This is a joke. You make people travel then postpone for a whole week. Not even a day.

This is wild!

— NeLo_O (@Nelo0ma) February 16, 2019

We would implore the electoral umpire @inecnigeria to make considerations on providing adequate meduim for this serving Corps in order to allow for a maximum output at their posts of duty. #NigeriaDecides2019 #NigeriaDecides #2019Elections pic.twitter.com/XwKS67wHIY

— Votard Nigeria #MakeYourVoteCount (@VotardNGR) February 16, 2019

INEC
INE
IN
I
IN
INC
INCO
INCOM
INCOMP
INCOMPE
INCOMPET
INCOMPETE
INCOMPETEN
INCOMPETENC
INCOMPETENCE#NigeriaDecides2019

— OGBENIOPA.com (@ogbeni_opa) February 16, 2019

All I know is that INEC is not independent, Yes, they are not at all. #NigeriaDecides2019

— Mayor of Ikeja 🇳🇬 (@iamAmeerLee) February 16, 2019

Dear local/international observers, don’t abandon us in this tricky mess by @inecnigeria. Please find your way around this & stay to observe the elections on February 23. #NigeriaDecides2019 @USEmbassyAbuja @EUCouncil @UKParliament @Canada @realDonaldTrump @DrJoeAbah @segalink

— Oyomwan O. Jio (@OyomwanO) February 16, 2019

@inecnigeria you are not an INDEPENDENT BODY at all. NEVER! with this incompetence and irresponsible act shown to the world? No no. Businesses shut down..people travelled to go vote, so much was at stake..just cos you are being used by you know who. SHAME!!!! #NigeriaDecides

— Amanda Oruh (@amandaoruh) February 16, 2019

How will you postpone elections on the day of the elections? Some 2-3 hours before voting starts. @inecnigeria you’re all failures

— Richard Whiz (@gugbai) February 16, 2019

Is it not a clear indication that chairman inec is incompetent. The letter was sign the same day the election was supposed to hold 🤷‍♂️ you can’t hold the meeting any other day but a day to election 🗳 well…

— Great (@real_greato) February 16, 2019

Huge disgrace!! So those innocent corpers you gathered to sleep on fields and classrooms, have all just wasted their time?? Irresponsible lots!!!

— Stella Esene (@digitalMkter101) February 16, 2019

This is really ridiculous, announcing the postponement of a general election that has been prepared for, for the past 3 years, this is really Naija indeed!

— Mr. Distinktive (@paradiseEnags) February 16, 2019

How can an election be postponed and the official Twitter handle of the commission doesn’t even have the news on its timeline. You guys are just useless..you all will die @inecnigeria

— Osahon A (@sahon_A) February 15, 2019

The “INDEPENDENT” in INEC should be removed. Since we’re fooling ourselves.

— HumorousDeveloper (@Gbemi_L_David) February 16, 2019

10 or 20 million people didn’t wake up and register yesterday or this week. INEC has known or had an idea of the numbers they’re dealing with for weeks and months. What sort of embarrassing, unprofessional and unacceptable gross incompetence is this? Why is life so hard in 🇳🇬?

— Dr. Dípò | The Career🔌 (@OgbeniDipo) February 15, 2019

After all these stress by Corps Members. pic.twitter.com/xO2yHBVuCt

— I’m Just a Child (@michael_tijani) February 16, 2019

They want international observers to go back home cos they won’t wait for a week…they want more time to perfect the rigging cos some people don’t want to be unseated. 🤔🤔

— Ferdinand. (@Poltergeyst_) February 16, 2019

Nigerians- “they” don’t care about you & I . It’s so so obvious . If they like , they should postpone it again. We need to rise up and not let them win .

— Gbemi O-O (@GbemiOO) February 16, 2019

How you gon postpone the elections on the day of the elections??? God please it’s time to blow the trumpet. #NigeraDecides2019

— Aunty Dupe (@misstashamillz) February 16, 2019

I’ve been reliably told that internal polling by the APC & d Aso Rock cabal showed that if the election held on Saturday, they’d lose really badly. So, like Jonathan in 2015, they prevailed on INEC to postpone it. But they’re only postponing the inevitable. Buhari will be history

— Farooq Kperogi, Ph.D (@farooqkperogi) February 16, 2019

I paid 10k for this room so I can be able to vote tomorrow.
I drove 2 hrs alone to get here. Fuel wasted.
They want to frustrate voters.
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

— Mama Kenechukwu (@shyprecious) February 16, 2019

The postponement will cause voter apathy. We should be able to rely on @inecnigeria schedules in making our travel plans. You had 36 solid months to prepare for the election Prof Yakubu. I am deeply sorry for our Youth Corpers who were on this assignment?

— Waheed Alabede (@wFalabede) February 16, 2019

People have travelled into and around the country just to participate. Why such gross display of incompetence?

— Zaddy (@The_TamaraJay) February 15, 2019

I drove all the way from Abuja down to Awka to vote! @inecnigeria please fix up! This elections must hold!

— Nwachinaemelu (@Iam_Kanayo) February 15, 2019

One just can’t begin to think of all that this #Postponement means for the generality of Nigerians and many other people. @inecnigeria has disappointed us. Yet they kept assuring us that everything was ready. We shouldn’t just shrug this off and move on. #WayTooCostly

— Remi Sonaiya (@oluremisonaiya) February 16, 2019

People traveled with a return ticket in btw 16th & 23rd. Now they will decide what’s best for them personally, likely to have them disenfranchised, having to travel back. Since the initial sacrifice made has been rubbished by your gross incompetence. #NigeriaDecides https://t.co/Qy1o8t9VY8

— GCFR (@Pr8nz) February 16, 2019

We deserve an apology!!!@inecnigeria should apologize to Nigerians for wasting our time and making us stay awake till this moment. This is bad for the moral of the citizens.

— Oluwa Enitan Sophie (@Enniesophie) February 16, 2019

After you have allowed people to travel to their voting destinations, you took your ditactive decision, for you to discourage a lot of people not to participate.

— PENDER kampala (@kampo4real) February 16, 2019

If you’re politically conscious and awake and online, pls tweet your thoughts about staggered elections to @inecnigeria.

Our party rejects it vehemently and it shouldn’t even feature in the thought of any Democrat

APC can run but they cannot hide from electoral judgement day.

— Demola Olarewaju (@DemolaRewaju) February 15, 2019

You’re extremely useless and incompetent, an embarrassment to an embarrassing country. You literally had ONE job and FOUR years to prepare for that one job. The worst part is that nobody is surprised at your incompetence. The real surprise would have been you actually delivering. https://t.co/1vyyELq4Cy

— Cerè Vicentaye (@Cerebrone) February 16, 2019

They had all this 3 yrs plus to prepare for this election but always will end up disgracing this country just because they all want to remain in charge even when the whole country has deserted them, always inconclusive and cancelation

— Omo kabiyesi (@OIwaro) February 16, 2019

Useless people … what have they been doing since budget was passed for them ?? America already have a date for their next election in 2020 . We are here not able to meet up with date . God help Nigeria and it’s institutions !!!!!!!!!!!!!

— ray bazuaye (@raybaz1) February 16, 2019

@inecnigeria when ever you are ready we are ready. Just make sure our votes reflects on the final results cos this una delay tactics no go work this time.

— Bello Kabir ABDULLAH (@khabheerloran) February 16, 2019

The worst happened – the postponement was denied at that midnight hour.

Then postponed at 3am on election morning. After you slept.

Tell me again, why we keep making a ridicule of our nationality. https://t.co/rZScjgKuKd

— Ayò Bánkólé (@AyoBankole) February 16, 2019

If this is not the definition and crass exhibition of incompetence then I wonder what is.@inecnigeria had four good years to plan for this election, but see what they came up with? Their actions has disenfranchised me and millions of others.
This election has lost credibility.

— Mállàm Ghàñðí Gráñðì (@j_gnd) February 16, 2019

I’m dumbfounded! Am ashamed of this commission! What a heck! Ori awon guys yi tiburu bi egun ton le were sha! Whats that mumbo jumbo he was saying? Eish na wa o! Anyway God will help this of u that relocated from one place to another for this elections, may God replenish ur pokt

— david adeyemi (@revade4xt) February 16, 2019

Just thinking of how the vast majority of people still don’t know elections have been postponed cause why postpone an election at 3am ON THE MORNING OF ELECTIONS?

— robin (@_amoge) February 16, 2019