Nigeria: Better Late Than Never

NIGERIA

Better Late Than Never?

Nigeria postponed its presidential elections by a week just hours before polls were to open Saturday, prompting opposition accusations that President Muhammadu Buhari is seeking to “disenfranchise” voters.

The electoral commission denied political bias played any role in the move, saying the vote was postponed due to logistical factors, Reuters reported.

Foreign election observers appealed for calm, while urging the authorities to follow through on their pledge to hold the postponed vote on Feb. 23, the BBC reported. Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, said that date was “sacrosanct.”

Past Nigerian elections have been marred by violence and vote-rigging, so the Electoral Commission’s claims that the delay was due to logistical problems were greeted with some skepticism.

“No matter who wins, it is now far more likely that the loser will contest the result and argue that the election has been compromised because sensitive materials are out there,” said Bismarck Rewane, economist and CEO of Lagos-based consultancy Finance Derivatives.

Buhari, in power since 2015, faces a tight election contest against former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).