Polls postponement: This, too, shall fail

Before the court option, the rumour mill all over the country was that the government of the PDP is determined to ensure that Buhari and the APC do not form government even if they are elected in February. The hypothesis went on to mention Doyin Okupe as having specifically said instead of handing over to […]

Before the court option, the rumour mill all over the country was that the government of the PDP is determined to ensure that Buhari and the APC do not form government even if they are elected in February. The hypothesis went on to mention Doyin Okupe as having specifically said instead of handing over to Buhari and the APC, they would rather hand over to the military. I want to see how that can happen.
In my little understanding of the statement credited to Okupe and the PDP, what they are saying simply is  that the prophecy of an eminent collapse of the country in 2015 is after all not out of sight. I cannot see how the will of Nigerians would be denied by a government that claims the mandate of the people. Some people say wonders shall never end, but more than anything, I think the desire of the PDP and its officials in government to truncate the wishes and eventual verdict passed by majority of Nigerians is the greatest threat to the survival of the nation at the moment.
Asari Dokubo is busy threatening fire and war if the collective will of Nigerians would be contrary to what he and a few like him expect. He abuses everybody who calls the president by his name including TY Danjuma. Nobody seems to be in charge. Whatever is said, if it is in favour of the government of the day and against the peace and stability of Nigeria, it is well. What this shows clearly is that Nigeria is on autopilot.
Now that it is just seven days to election, desperation is all over the air. The government is calling for postponement for obvious reasons. What Nigerians seem to be getting from this desperation to postpone the polls is that the government has seen the handwriting on the wall   that it is about losing the elections, so the best way is to hold on until such a time when they feel they can win or rig.
The PVC argument is pedestrian, with over 40 million already collected by Nigerians and most in the various polling areas across the country ready for collection. I wonder how that will be an issue for the government to continue to make noise about. By the way, this is the first time a sitting government is sounding uncomfortable on the eve of an election in Nigeria.
The reason is not far-fetched. The INEC has made adequate provisions to counter the traditional loopholes the government had exploited in past elections. They told us to vote and wait for results at our polling stations. They told us to make sure that at the end of the polling, we preside over the destruction/cancellation of the ballot papers unused. They told us to make sure the results are pasted at the polling stations and that we should make wise use of mobile devices.
These INEC steps are certainly not serving anyone who desires to rig the polls and I don’t know what the government in Abuja will do, because the responsibility of conducting elections is not that of the government but INEC, which is ideally independent and in this case proving to be so. The proposition to postpone is also said to be partly due to the desire to have the current INEC Chairman tenure expire mid-year and a brand new INEC that would be naïve would conduct the elections. The implication here is that the powers-that-be would deploy their coercive applauses and rig the polls.
The summation of some Nigerians is that the entire cry for shift is anchored on the desire to douse the current national urge for change and prepare a ground where the government in Abuja could retrace its steps and see if it could be accepted by Nigerians. I’m of the view that it is late and the days are fast inching in.
When I was writing this piece, there were speculations that the president on Thursday would table the need to push further the polls before the National Council of State. They are already in court asking the court to make INEC put off the dates. How confusion works in a government is clearly expressed here. When matters are under adjudication, they ought not to be discussed.
Any attempt to push forward the election by the central government may only spell doom for the country. I think our leaders must learn to subordinate themselves to the will of the people. If they can accept victory, they must also learn to accept defeat. The February election dates must be sacrosanct. Any attempt to shift would mean that the government does not want an election and desires to perpetuate in office. This is not possible in Nigeria. Others tried similar things and failed. This, too, shall fail.
Long live Nigeria and Nigerians. On February 14th and 28th we stand.