‘Why 2023 Elections Must Not Be Postponed’

An urgent appeal has gone out to the government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other stakeholders to avoid the postponement of the 2023 general elections.

The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) Mallam Auwal Musa Rafsanjani made the call on Thursday, warning that the postponement may bring along with it dire consequences.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja, Rafsanjani who is also the Chief Executive of Transparency International (TI) said postponing the election would be counterproductive.

He stressed that some proponents of undemocratic tendencies may exploit such development and postponing elections would lead to a waste of public funds.

The civil society leader therefore called on all relevant stakeholders to ensure nothing stops the 2023 elections from proceeding as planned.

“We see statements like this as counterproductive as they encourage the waste of public funds and can promote the wish of undemocratic agents that do not want Nigerian citizens to exercise their democratic rights.

“We hereby state that this should not be allowed to happen. Security personnel and election officials need to be fully equipped to always deal with challenges,” Rafsanjani said.

INEC Gives Assurance

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is not contemplating a postponement or cancellation of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

The electoral umpire assured that the elections which have been scheduled for February 25 and March 11 for the presidential and state elections respectively would hold as planned.

The assurance was given on Wednesday in Abuja by the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu while presenting the updated register of voters for the 2023 elections.

The INEC boss revealed that the commission is working with all relevant stakeholders to deliver a peaceful and credible poll.