By Baron Ike
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral commission Yakubu Mahmoud has regretted the postponement of the presidential and governorship elections, saying the idea has nothing to do with security, politics or any influence.
The INEC rescheduled the presidential and national assembly elections slated for Saturday February 16 to February 23 and the governorship and states assembly elections from March 2 to March 9 in the early hours of today.
Addressing a stakeholders meeting in Abuja on Saturday Mahmoud said he was entirely responsible for what happened and that the Commission regrets the development.
He gave a graphic account of the challenges the Commission had faced of late including the burning of its card readers in Awka Anambra state, the destruction of materials in Abia and States, noting that the INEC worked hard to close the gap before February 16.
He said the rescheduled elections will hold as slated and that the issues of late arrival of materials and other hiccups wiuld be dealt with before February 23.
Imcidentally, most of the stakeholders ended up euloging Mahmoud for the cancellation despite the initial knocks from a cross section of Nigerians.