He made the declaration on Saturday while speaking at the briefing held with party leaders and other major stakeholders in Abuja over the postponement of the general election.

The general election which was billed to start with the one for the Presidency and National Assembly on Saturday was postponed to February 23, 2019.

Yakubu blamed the postponement on inadequate preparedness bordering on logistics.

But responding to questions during the interactive session at the briefing, Yakubu said INEC was too overburdened hence the need to hold a national discourse on how to address the issues associated with the problem.

The INEC boss said apart from conducting elections, the commission was managing the entire democratic system of the nation.

He said the enormity of the task given to INEC had become too cumbersome for him as a chairman and the 12 commissioners to cope with comfortably.

His words:  “On the issue of INEC being overburdened, I think this is a discussion that the nation must hold after the 2019 general elections.  12 commissioners and a chairman are not only conducting election of Nigeria, but also managing the entire democratic system.

“I don’t know when last anyone of us had a decent sleep, but these are conversations we’ll have after the elections.

“What is important for us at the moment, despite the enormity of the challenges, we’ll continue to do what we can to deliver free fair and credible election in 2019….

“As I said, after the 2019 general election, this nation needs a conversation on the management of election.  We’ll come back to it big time.”

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The arraignment was at a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Tuesday.

The suit against him is in connection with his alleged involvement in a contract fraud which has to do with the clearing of “invasive plant species” in Yobe State, through the Presidential Initiative on North East, PINE.

Joined in the case against Lawal were Hamidu David Lawal; Sulaiman Abubakar; Apeh Monday and his company, Rholavision Engineering Limited.

Josmon Technologies Limited was also joined in the case.

He has however pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

It would be recalled that the Senate ad-hoc committee probing the humanitarian crisis in the North East indicted him over alleged contract fraud in 2016.

He was accused of spending N570 million to cut grass among other alleged suspicious payments involving him and his company.

Lawal was sacked in 2017 by President Muhammadu Buhari over the case.

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He was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Sunday evening on arrival from Lagos, over alleged failure to execute a $12 million contract for the dredging of Calabar channel.

The contract was awarded to his company by the Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA.

The chairman of the investigation panel, Okoi Obono-Obla, who confirmed the arrest said he was arrested at the airport when he disembarked from the plane.

Said he:  “This evening, at about 8.20pm, operatives of the Special Presidential Investigation Panel For Recovery of Public Property at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport arrested the APC governorship candidate in Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, after disembarking from an Air Peace P47324 flight from Lagos.

“The panel is investigating economic sabotage against Senator Uzodinma arising out of the failure of his company to execute a contract of $12m for the dredging of Calabar channel awarded by the NPA.”

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