However, despite of the postponement of polls scheduled for today, they remained indoor; while others met in groups, discussing on other factors that might have caused sudden change of action by the electoral body.
Meanwhile, findings by DAIILY POST showed that market shops, stores, were locked up. Cost of food items such as gari, beans, rice, and other essential commodities skyrocketed as only few sellers were spotted at strategic places to make brisk businesses.
Commercial bus drivers and other vehicular movements disappeared from Kaduna metropolis and its environs.
Speaking to DAILYPOST, Prof. Mohammed Muntaqa-Usman of the Economic Department, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU)Zaria, said the postponement would negatively affect the economy of the nation, especially the common man.
He said: “Normally, when there is an election, the economy is expected to be shut down for certain hours and now that the elections had been postponed, people had already zeroed their minds on any other thing.
“The loss emanating from this postponement is unquantifiable looking at the micro economy that will be affected across the nation.”
He observed that many people would have used the day for their daily earnings but they were forced to stay at home, adding that their absence in different business areas would create a huge loss on the economy.
Muntaqa-Usman added that many people would be disenfranchised in view of the fact that many electorate living outside Nigeria that came back home to vote might not have the opportunity to do so again.
“There are some other people who also travelled from far distances across the country just to exercise their franchise and might not have the chance to come back again.
“There was a similar postponement in 2011 and 2015, it means our system is not working well, INEC has to do something.
“They should be open to Nigerians, they said it was as a result of logistic problem, logistic is very wide, they should be specific,” he advised.
On his part, Dr Isa Sa’idu of Political Science Department, Federal College of Education (FCE), Zaria, said it seems the electoral body was not fully prepared for the elections, hence the postponement.
He suggested that INEC should have informed Nigerians before hand that “there is probability of postponing the elections in case they have logistic problems, this will us on alert.
“We are all Nigerians, we know how difficult is for somebody to reach out to some places, especially in the rural areas but they kept mute until few hours to the elections.
“Many Nigerians will loose confidence on INEC because some have travelled far distances just to exercise their franchise but all their efforts now are in vein.
“In case of another time, they should be fully prepared before hand so as not to put Nigerians on suspense as doing so will restore the confidence we have on them,” Sa’idu noted.
