Nigerian Government Denies Plans to Postpone January Election

The Federal Government of Nigeria has refuted allegations regarding a plan to postpone the presidential election scheduled for January 16. Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that the government is unaware of any such plans and described the claims as fake news.

This denial follows an alarm raised by the African Democratic Congress Presidential Campaign Council (ADC-PCC), which alleged that there might be an attempt to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) into changing the election date. The ADC-PCC, through its Director of Strategic Communication, Phrank Shaibu, suggested that INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, could be summoned to the Presidential Villa to receive instructions to alter the electoral timetable.

The council urged President Bola Tinubu to reject any such moves and called for transparency from Amupitan regarding any attempts to influence the commission. The ADC-PCC emphasized that the election date is crucial for Nigerians and must not be changed without public knowledge.