ELECTION DAY 1

"incompetence has as many faces as death itself"

After an assurance of the readiness of INEC, barely 24hrs prior to the first day of the National elections, its no longer news the afterthought of our Independent National Electoral Commission head Professor Attahiru Jega. One stops to wonder as to how an event such as the National Assembly (NASS) elections scheduled and planned so meticulously should suddenly be postponed due to logistic challenges. The soberness and acceptance of responsibility with which our Professor made this declaration is no excuse, as this simply points to the fact the unpreparedness of INEC to conduct a free and fair elections.
The request by INEC for the postponement of the NASS elections till monday the 4th of April 2011 is no doubt unacceptable. If months of preparation can still result in such disappointment, is 48hrs enough? or will Professor Jega need more time?
The first ripple effect of this move is the loss of one working day, as Monday the 4th of April will no doubt be an undeserved public holiday due to the lack of adequate calculation by INEC.
The  remobilization of  party faithfuls by politicians will incur more costs and unnecessary confusion as the dissemination of information in a country struck with the paralysis of inadequate power, will definitely be left in the hands of third party reports by individuals.
After all the supposed movement of materials across the country, the safety of these material between today and the 4th  of april also comes into question.
The icing on the cake is the total shutdown of all activities within the country as a preparation for the elections, which now amounts to a waste of time and a colossal loss in terms of economic activities.

The postponement of this election clearly shows the unpreparedness of INEC and also a national embarrassment to the Nigerian populace as the whole world had eyes on Nigeria. With so much money being requested by INEC its a little difficult to see what "logistic challenges" the money Jega received couldn't solve to save us this National drama
Once again the suspicion of the incompetencies of INEC have been placed on the front burner by this postponement. To expect a little technical hitches here and there is no problem as the percentage error of any planning is always expected, but not in the way  the first day of the election time table has been altered and messed up.
Nigerians deserve more than has been received today. Its time for Professor Jega to begin to fulfill his promises, step up his game and act the part of the Professor that he really is. Not just with the use of apologetic words, but in actions that truly speak more.