2nd April, 2011
Former Governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, incumbent Governor, Babatunde Fashola and other Nigerians were very angry with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, over cancellation of today’s National Assembly polls nationwide.
Several Lagosians were already voting when the news came to them that the election had been suspended and to now hold on Monday.
In many places where the news did not get to the electorate and the INEC officials on time, voters were still busy exercising their mandate but will be shocked later that their efforts were in vain as the votes would not count.
Tinubu was at ward 3 to cast his vote when he learnt that the poll had been postponed and he was very bitter that he and millions of Lagosians were not allowed to exercise their mandates.
“The federal government has failed. The cancellation is a deliberate attempt to truncate ACN votes in Lagos State. See what Jega and his cohorts have put us through,†Tinubu said bitterly.
“Instead of celebrating democracy, Jega and his cohorts decided to humiliate us, not even in front of our kinsmen but in the eyes of international observers who came to monitor the elections.
“Nigeria should not forgive PDP, especially with their machinery of destruction being put in place,†he added.
Tinubu called on President Goodluck Jonathan and the INEC Chairman, Athahiru Jega to resign for putting the nation in this mess and embarrassment.
Governor Fashola said he had already voted when he learnt that the election had been suspended and he was very bitter about the situation.
“I think first of all, this decision by INEC to suspend the elections has inflicted very huge disappointment on Nigerians, particularly those of us in Lagos here but I want to first make this most important appeal that we should keep the peace, no matter how disappointed we are.
“We must restrain ourselves and remain law abiding.”
By Kazeem Ugbodaga