SAN FRANCISCO, February 03, (THEWILL) – With just about ten days to the commencement of the general elections, sixteen political parties and five presidential candidates have called for the elections to be delayed to give the electoral commission more time to distribute voters cards to eligible voters.
Some of the parties are Labour Party (LP), United Democratic Party (UDP), Citizen Peoples Party (CPP), Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN), Action Alliance (AA), Peoples Democratic Congress (PDC) (ACPN), United Party of Nigeria (UPN), Alliance for Democracy (AD), New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) and Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN).
The presidential candidates who also endorsed the postponement of the elections slated for February 14 and February 28, are Mr. Godson Okoye (UDP), Chief Sam Okoye (CPP), Prince C.O Allagoe (PPN), Mr. Tunde Anifowose (AA) and Mr. Ganiu Galadima (ACPN).
Addressing a press conference Tuesday in Abuja, the parties and aspirants said a shift in date does not contravene the provisions of Section 25 and 26 of the Electoral Act, stressing that it will afford INEC enough time to distribute the remaining PVCs to registered voters.
They threatened to boycott the polls if their demands are not met.
There are twenty six registered political parties in Nigeria.
Amidst calls for the postponement of the elections by some persons and groups believed to be sympathetic to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), following the growing popularity of the General Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the main opposition party, All progressives Congress (APC), the electoral commission has repeatedly said that the elections would hold as scheduled, saying the distribution of voters cards to registered voters was going smoothly.
