2023 Census Postponement Crucial For Free And Fair Elections – HURIWA
Prominent civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Saturday, said the postponement of the 2023 national population and housing census is vital to guarantee free and fair elections in the 2023 elections.
HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, said the idea of a census is senseless and makes no economic sense, especially at a time when Nigeria is battling the devastating effects of floods and hyperinflation.
The group wondered about the hurried need for a census barely four months to the general elections in February 2023, urging Nigerians to reject the grand plan by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to perpetuate the All Progressives Congress in power.
HURIWA also tackled a Federal Commissioner of the National Population Commission representing Anambra, Chidi Ezeoke, who on Friday said calls for postponement of 2023 national population and housing census are ill-advised.
HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “We support the indefinite postponement of census because it’s meant to create bogus figures to justify planned election heist by the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 poll.
“Also, the constitution of the hierarchy of the commission is tainted because President Muhammadu Buhari insisted on a Muslim as executive chairman after he found out that the initial nominee he had picked for same position is a Christian from Nasarawa State so he chose a Muslim thereby making Nasarawa representation to be two in that commission just so he can allegedly cover up his clandestine plots.
“Secondly, Nigeria is in hyperinflation and floods are ravaging the country so why waste so much money, why fritter this humongous money to stage a prearranged headcount meant to cement the error-prone government magic that the north is more populated than the South to score cheap political goal?
“Buhari’s administration cannot be trusted to conduct transparent census before general elections for obvious reasons. Nigerians must reject this plot by standing against any proposed census because it is worrisome that the APC government slept for seven and half years and suddenly woke up now few months to the presidential elections in February for so-called population and housing census that does not and have not advance Nigeria in anyway neither has it assisted the national planning and programmes of the country.”
