INEC Bows To Police, DSS… to shift Edo governorship poll

INEC TO formally announce the postponement of the election today.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will today accede to the demand of both the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services (DSS) to postpone the Saturday, September 10 gubernatorial election in Edo State,

Chat212 FM has learnt. Impeccable source in INEC told New men last night that the commission will formally announce the postponement of the election today.

It was learnt that the electoral body will shift the election for between two and three weeks. Beyond the security concerns raised by the security agencies, the electoral body will also hinge the postponement of the governorship poll on the November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSC) holding on Saturday.

Thousands of students in Edo, across Nigeria and West African countries will be sitting for the Mathematics exams on Saturday between 9:30a.m. and 3:30p.m. Students who registered for the examination had staged a protest calling for the postponement of election.

Chat212 learnt that about 1,700 students have rejected plan to transfer them to neighbouring states for the examination. A source in INEC told New Telegraph that a meeting of the electoral body with the heads of security agencies will hold today in Benin after which INEC will announce its position.

INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, confirmed that the electoral body had consulted with critical stakeholders and would meet with top echelon of security agencies before it could take an official position on the matter.

At the meeting, the Police and DSS will share the intelligence report on the planned attacks by the terrorist group.The source added that “Edo State has been calibrated and waiting for explosion” with the importation of thugs into the state.

“Both Police and DSS are to provide security for the election, and if the security agencies advised against the conduct of the election, we have no choice. If we do otherwise and anything untoward happens, INEC will be held liable.