Ipob claims responsibility for election postponement saying calling off its boycott forced Buhari to shelve rigging plans

SECESSIONIST group the Indigenous People of Biafra (Ipob) has claimed credit for the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) to postpone today's presidential elections saying it forced the hand of the government.

Nigeria had been due to hold presidential and National Assembly elections today and governorship and state houses of assembly polls on March 2. However, at 2am this morning, Inec chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu announced that the presidential elections had been postponed until next Saturday, while the gubernatorial polls will; not take place on March 9.

Ipob, which had been calling for the elections to be boycotted unless it was guaranteed a referendum on the vexed issue of the creation of Biafra, suddenly agreed to participate in the polls on Thursday. Its leader Nnamdi Kanu bowed to pressure and announced that he was calling off the election boycott after meeting and discussing with numerous stakeholders, who have given certain guarantees.

Reacting to the postponement, Ipob publicity secretary Emma Powerful, claimed it happened

as a result of Mr Kanu’s decision to call off the election boycott. He added that Mr Kanu’s reversal of the election boycott made it impossible for President Muhammadu Buhari and his handlers to proceed to rig the elections.

Mr Powerful said: “Events surrounding the postponement of the Nigerian presidential elections previously scheduled for today February 16, 2019 is confirmation that Ipob's decision to lift the boycott was a masterstroke that took the cabal by surprise. The move by Ipob's apex leadership to call off the boycott made it virtually impossible for Jubril and his handlers to proceed to rig the elections on the account that Ipob boycotted the polls.

"It is now clear for the world to see that some nefarious elements within the corridors of power in Aso Rock wanted so desperately for Ipob to boycott these elections in order to justify their already perfected script that our boycott made it possible for them to emerge victorious. By calling off the boycott, Jubril and his cabal lost the initiative and were headed straight for defeat.

“Our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the prophet of our time, is light years ahead of the intrigues and machinations that characterise politics in Nigeria. Had the leadership of our great movement Ipob not called off the boycott, the sham elections would have proceeded as rigged, with a Sudanese impostor Jubril announced as the winner on account that Ipob boycotted the exercise."

He added that the calling off of the boycott was a huge shock the government was unable to manage. According to Mr Powerful, chief of army staff, Lt General Tukur Buratai’s threat and orchestrated violence against Ipob  in the run-up to February 16 were all designed to maximise the impact of the intended boycott because that was the outcome they desired but the plan fell apart as soon as soon as Ipob called off the boycott.

He added that as a result, the government had no choice than to postpone the elections, which is why Nigeria is not voting today. Mr Powerful claimed that the fear of Ipob is the beginning of wisdom and only fools pretend otherwise.