The Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Mr. Najeem Salam, has warned the Independent National Election Commission against yielding to clamour for the postponement of the date of the general election from February 14th.

Salam gave the warning in Osogbo on Tuesday evening at a program organised by the Osun State Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists.

The Speaker said that postponing the polls’ date could cause crisis in the country because the majority of the people would not trust the Federal Government nor believe the outcome of election result if it was held at a later date.

Najeem also said a shift in date would waste the huge fund allocated for the conduct of the elections and would also drain the pockets of the contestants.

He said, “We are saying no to the postponement! Why will they postpone the election? The INEC has been preparing for the election since the past four years and are we going to ask them to postpone this? What do you think will happen to the N70 billion given to INEC for the conduct of the elections?

” Nigerians can no longer wait for these elections to hold. Shift in the date will violate the electoral guideline. Why are they clamouring for shift on date? Is it because of certain interest? The National Security Adviser, Dasuki who first said this did not say it in Nigeria, he went outside the country to say it.”

The Speaker berated the President for not speaking against numerous calls from his loyalists to postpone the elections.

According to him, the President’s silence on the matter has confirmed that his supporters are saying his mind on this issue.

Canvassing for votes for the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj. - Gen. Muhammadu Buhari ( retd.), Salam said that Buhari was far better than President Goodluck Jonathan, who he said had almost run the country aground.

He said the President allowed corruption to thrive under his watch, saying this was the reason the economy of the country had been badly affected.

The Speaker said, “We all know that Gen. Buhari is against corruption. This is why many corrupt persons don’t want him to come into power; they know that he will put an end to their illegal activities.

” He is a leader who will ensure that the laws made are enforced against the rich and the poor. He should be supported by everybody especially the masses who constitute the largest percentage of the population. He will make a change.”

Salam, who is also seeking re-election into the House of Assembly called on the people of the state to support the APC candidates in all elections to effect ” holistic change for the better in the country.”

The Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District at the Senate, Senator Hussein Mudasir, who was part of the Speaker’s entourage, said he was ready to support former Governor Isiaka Adeleke, who emerged the senatorial candidate of the APC in his constituency.