TONY JOHN, Port Harcourt

Residents of Port Harcourt and its environs, have expressed their displeasure with Federal government over the cancellation of the long-awaited presidential and National Assembly elections billed for today February 16.

Reacting to the announcement of the postponement of the elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the people said the import of the move was a plot to rig the elections by the All Progressives Congress (APC)- led Federal government.

The state People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, in its reaction, said the postponement of the elections by INEC had vindicated its earlier position that the electoral body was working with the APC-led government to truncate democracy in the country.

The council said the action was premeditated, adding that the postponement was a clear indication that the APC-led Federal government was afraid of the outcome of the elections.

Director of Information and Communications of Rivers PDP Campaign Council, Emma Okah, noted that no matter how long INEC, working in conjunction with the APC government continued to ridicule Nigerians by postponing the elections, “they must one day succumb and Nigerians will certainly vent their anger on them for the frustration and hardship they have brought upon the land.”

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Okah further regretted that after several assurances by the Federal government and the INEC chairman, that the elections would hold as scheduled, they still made a mockery of Nigerians with the last-minute postponement, which showed that the APC-led government could not be trusted by Nigerians.

“We are sad that even the INEC chairman in his broadcast, could not tender any apology to Nigerians for the huge embarrassment and loss, which his incompetence has caused the nation by postponing the elections after the process had started,” Okah said

“While calling on Nigerians particularly Rivers residents, to troop out in their numbers on Saturday, Feb 23, and March 9, 2019, to vent their anger on the failed APC-led government that has inflicted them with hunger, deaths and other forms of economic hardship, we call on international organisations and civil society organisations to continue to focus their search lights on the Nigerian government to ensure that it acts within international best practice set out for the conduct of credible elections.”

Similarly, the state chairman of PDP, Felix Obuah, has urged party faithful in the state to remain calm and undaunted by the postponement of the 2019 Elections by INEC.

Obuah, in a statement, regretted that as shocking and embarrassing as the postponements, Rivers people should remain peaceful and wait to exercise their franchise on the new dates.