The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has decided to shift Saturday, February 16, 2019, presidential and National Assembly elections till next week February 23, 2019.
The Governorship and state assembly elections will take place on March 92019, instead of March 2, 2019, as initially scheduled.
It was one of the decisions reached early on Friday, February 16, 2019, in a crunch talk between between INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu and 12 national commissioners in Abuja, according to sources close to the meeting.
Breaking News: The #NigeriaDecides2019 Elections now to hold on; 23rd February, 2019 for Presidential and National Assembly while the Governorship, State House of Assembly and the FCT Area Council Elections is to hold on 9th March, 2019. pic.twitter.com/6zhvBLQe2a
— INEC Nigeria (@inecnigeria) February 16, 2019
Professor Yakubu will be briefing the media later today on the decision, amidst reports of logistics problems faced by the commission.
The meeting, which began Friday evening, was still in progress up till 1.30 a.m.
Rotimi Oyekanmi, the chief press secretary to the INEC chairman told NAN that the decision of the meeting will be communicated later today and that some decision about the election had been reached.
“I can confirm to you that the INEC Chairman and the 12 national commissioners are in the meeting.
” Decisions have been taken and you will be addressed later,” Oyekanmi said.
Presidential and National Assembly elections are scheduled to take place throughout the country today, while governorship and state assembly elections will take place on March 2, 2019.
The national elections are expected to hold at 119,973 polling units across the country while collation of results will take place in 8,809 Registration Areas or Wards, 774 Local Government Areas and 36 States and the FCT.
It will not be the first time that the commission would postpone a scheduled general election.
In 2015, the presidential election was shifted from February 14, 2015, to March 28, 2015; while the governorship and assembly elections scheduled for February 28, 2019, were shifted to April 11, 2019.
