An analyst, Mr Paul Alelumhe has opposed the call by Northern Elders Forum on the Council of State to Prevail on the President and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to consider postponing the general elections and merging all polls in a single day to avert negative security consequences.

Mr. Alelumhe opposed the grouped while commenting on their call on ATN Politics. He said postponement of the election will show to the rest of the world unserious Nigeria is.

He said, “If we postpone this election, what it simply means is that we are never ready for anything. If you have six months to plan, eight months to plan and prepare for an election and two weeks to the election and we are calling for postponement, it means even given two years we will not be ready. I am of the opinion that INEC should try as much as possible to weigh other options to ensure that this election is held as planned.”

He said the call by NEF is coming in to late. He however, said the proposal can be review and consider for future elections.

“It is too late for NEF to call for this. They would have done this when they (National Assembly) were seeking amendment to that 2010 Electoral Act. This is not the first time we are having election in that sequence. It happened in 2015, despite the PDP who were the ruling party at that time not been comfortable with the position because there was going to be spiral effect.

“The outcome of the presidential will affect the governorship election, the then INEC chairman, said no, we have that order which has been determined and they cannot change the order. It is the same thing that is happening here, you cannot few days to the election change the sequence but we can look at that in future elections,” he said.

The NEF in a statement by its spokesman, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed have urged the Council as State to considering the merit of holding all the elections in one day in March to avert negative security consequences and advised the president and INEC.