We support Commonwealth’s position on polls deferral, says Australian Govt

The Australian Government says it supports the position of the Commonwealth on the postponement of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had, on Saturday, postponed the general elections until February 23 and March 9, citing logistical and operational problems encountered by the Commission.

The elections were earlier scheduled for February 16 and March 2.

In a tweet on Monday, Australia’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Paul Lehmann, said his country supported the position of the Commonwealth on the elections postponement in Nigeria.

Supported by Australia The CommonwealthHeads of international observation missions in #Nigeria have called for calm in the nation, following the decision of @inecnigeria to postpone the 2019 general elections due to logistical and operational challenges.

Read the full statement34:35 AM – Feb 18, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacySee Paul Lehmann’s other Tweets

The Commonwealth had, in a statement on Sunday, reacted to the elections postponement on behalf of eight international observation missions in Nigeria.

The statement had partly read, “Heads of international observation missions in Nigeria have called for calm in the nation, following the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission to postpone the 2019 general elections due to logistical and operational challenges.

“While we note that this decision has caused disappointment for many, we call on all Nigerians to continue to remain calm and supportive of the electoral process as INEC works to implement its new timeline.”

The Commonwealth implored INEC to use the one week time frame to finalise all preparations and ensure that the new election dates are strictly adhered to.