Some residents of Bauchi have expressed optimism that the rescheduling of the Governorship and State House of Assembly election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would facilitate conduct of free, fair, credible and acceptable polls.
A cross section of the residents stated this in seperate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Thursday in Bauchi, while reacting to the postponment of the election.
They said the decision would enable the electoral umpire to be more prepare, address technical hitches and other challenges experienced in the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly election.
INEC had rescheduled the state elections earlier billed for March 11 to March 18 in compliance to the order of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (EPT) over reconfiguration of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Mr Ismail Raji, a resident, said that INEC needed time to make adequate preparations in accordance with the electoral law to ensure free, fair and transparent election.
“The time shift will enable INEC to adjust and correct all the flaws that it agreed to have occurred during the presidential and National Assembly elections,” he said.
According to him, the time shift will also give the political parties opportunity to put their houses in order, adding that it will afford the electorate the chance to see who among the candidates will be good for them for the next four years.
Another resident, Mr Abdullahi Yelwa said that, “it is better to take time to do what is right than to rush and crash”.
He said that it was good to rescheduled the election rather than conducting it in a manner that could be inimical to the democratic process in the country.
“I think it is something we should thank God for and hope INEC will do what it takes to fix all the lapses or problems that necessitated the shifting of the election date.
“Delay is not denial, and one week is not seven years. It will definitely come and pray for the best as we go and vote for the best on that day.
“This delay should not deter the electorate because it is not the first time. They should just reorganise and reschedule themselves for a better outing.
“They should know that their destiny is in their hands and if they get it right expectedly, it will be in their favour,” he said.
Also, Farouk Mustapha, a staIwart of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said the party was not perturbed by the decision of the commission to postpone the election.
“INEC has every right to take the decision as it is the electoral umpire. With the postponement or not, we are good to go. We are not perturbed in any way.
“That’s the decision of the umpire. Even if they can shift it to the end of this month, we are ready to go by that.
“To us; the postponement will not change anything God’s willing and we will maintain the tempo till March 18 that the exercise will be conducted,” he said. (NAN)
