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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the delay Saturday morning, as some of the 84 million registered voters in Nigeria were already heading to polling stations.
President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, on a campaign visit to the state of Abia. Image: @ MBuhari / Twitter
ABUJA – President Muhammadu Buhari warned Monday that anyone trying to tamper with Nigeria 's deferred vote was risking their lives and accused the electoral commission of incompetence.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the delay Saturday morning, as some of the 84 million registered voters in Nigeria were already heading to polling stations.
Buhari said anyone would try to steal or destroy ballot boxes and that the voting materials at the next Saturday's election would be dealt with firmly.
"I gave the army and police the instruction to be ruthless. We will not be blamed for the bad conduct of the elections, "he told an emergency meeting of senior officials from his All Progressive Congress (APC) party in Abuja, the capital.
He stated that anyone who tries to intimidate voters or interfere with the vote will do so at the expense of his own life.
The opposition Democratic People's Party (PDP) has hinted that Buhari, a former military leader elected later as president in 2015, was late on the postponement in order to retain power.
The ruling party accused the PDP of being behind the delay and getting in touch with personalities within the electoral commission.
The PDP criticized the president's words in which he warned people against falsifying election materials.
"The threat of President Muhammadu Buhari on the lives of Nigerians, at the opening of the APC national caucus meeting in Abuja today, is a direct call to justice in the jungle," said the party in a statement.
All parties, however, called for calm in a country where previous elections were tainted by violence and intimidation. Until now, there has been no sign of violence or agitation after the INEC announcement of the delay.
Buhari faces a fierce fight against the PDP's Atiku Abubakar for leading a country that has Africa's largest economy and is its largest oil producer, but suffers from corruption and large gaps between rich and poor. poor people.
The elections were contested for Buhari's economic management in the face of fragile growth and rising unemployment as the country recovered from a recession in 2016. The rise of insecurity, particularly in the regions attacked by Boko Haram and other Islamist activists, is also a big concern.
The CENI spoke of the logistical difficulties and problems of transporting election materials in remote or conflict-torn areas, and denied any political pressure that was taken into account in its decision to suspend the vote.
Buhari said that it was necessary to closely examine the problems that caused the postponement.
"It is clear that the reasons for such incompetence are to be explained to the nation. After the elections, we must know exactly what has happened, "he said, promising that an investigation would be opened.
The electoral commission had said the campaign would be suspended until Saturday, but the two main parties announced their intention to resume the campaign.
APC Chairman Adams Oshiomhole told his party's meeting that INEC President Mahmood Yakubu Oshiomhole had cheated on stopping the campaign.
"The INEC is not in a position to legislate. The law stipulates that you have the right to renew your campaigns until 24 hours before the beginning of the elections, "he said.
The opposition PDP also said it would return to the runway of the campaign. He rejected the commission's campaign decision, stating in a PDP statement that it was "directly in conflict with the provision of the electoral law and is not supported by any other law in our country".
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