The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) has described the postponement of the Edo State governorship election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as an assault on democracy.
This Situation Room, an amalgam of over 70 civil society organisations committed to transparent elections, made this observation in a press statement issued on Friday.
The statement added that the postponement is part of a trend that has eroded trust in public officers and institutions as well as heightened skepticism about the general direction of the country’s democracy under the President Muhammadu-led administration.
Announcing the postponement of the election on Thursday, INEC said it received official communication from the Police and the Directorate of State Security (DSS) urging it to postpone the election on account of looming threats of terrorist activities in Edo State and other states. The Situation Room noted that INEC seized on this “fait accompli” from to shift the election to Wednesday, 28 September.
“This unfortunate chain of events raises some serious questions about a possible breach of the constitutionally guaranteed independence of INEC, the growing over-reach of security apparatchiks, who effectively in this election, have forced their own electoral timetable on INEC, the good people of Edo State and by extension citizens of this country,” stated the Situation Room.
It contended that this development connotes impunity and a growing disdain by public officials for due process, rule of law and contempt for democratic processes.
Earlier, the Situation Room had called on President Buhari to order a credible investigation of the Police and the DSS as they relate to the postponement and prosecute those responsible for the violation of the country’s laws.
The Situation Room maintained that there is no verifiable reason for the advice given by the Police and DSS to INEC.
“INEC was thus put into an impossible Catch 22: Go ahead with the elections and be blamed for the consequences of possibly contrived violence or, as is the present situation, postpone the elections and dash the hope of millions of Edo citizens primed and ready to cast their votes and fulfill their rights as democratic citizens,” it added.
The development, argued the Situation Room, provides bold hints that the country’s democracy is again under threat from undemocratic forces. “We can argue that since the hard-fought elections of last year, we have simply had a change in government, but not a change in the conduct of public officials, which sometimes borders on impunity and recklessness.
“We call on all actors and stakeholders to understand that the independence of INEC is not negotiable and it is at the core of our democratic existence, peace and order.
“We call on all the political parties in Edo State to prepare for the new date for elections and to conduct themselves in a peace and orderly manner,” said the Situation Room.
The coalition also appealed to the people of Edo state to be calm, law abiding and be vigilant on the day the election.
