[ 2015-02-08 ]

Nigeria vote delay upsets locals in Boko Haram areas
Residents and officials in Nigeria's northern
Borno state have expressed their disappointment
after the electoral commission announced it would
postpone elections until March 28, six weeks later
than planned.

Attahiru Jega, the chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), said late on
Saturday that security chiefs advised a
postponement as troops would not be available
because of operations against the armed group in
the north - especially in Borno state.

"If the security of personnel, voters, election
observers and election material cannot be
guaranteed, the lives of innocent young men and
women and the prospect of free, fair and credible
elections will be greatly jeopardised," Jega
said.

But residents and officials in Borno state told Al
Jazeera they believed the elections should have
gone ahead as planned on February 14.

"The mood here is that of huge disappointment -
people were actually ready for the elections
here," said Al Jazeera's Ahmed Idris, reporting
from Maiduguri.

"The deputy governor of Borno state ... said they
were ready and this is a huge blow to their
plans."

Our correspondent added that a lot of people who
have been displaced by fighting in the region had
already been given their voting cards by election
commission officials.

The decision to postpone the vote came following a
closed-door meeting in Abuja between INEC, the
ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), its main
contender, the All Progressive Congress (APC), and
other opposition parties.

Postponement disputed

Officials in President Goodluck Jonathan's
administration have been calling for a
postponement amid continuing violence as the
country battles Boko Haram.

However, civil rights groups, opposition political
parties, and Western countries opposed a later
election date.

Protesters had gathered outside the electoral
commission headquarters in the capital, Abuja, for
days, calling for elections to go ahead as
planned.

"Civil society organisations are calling for the
resignation of the election chair and Nigeria's
security chiefs over the postponement of the
election, but that is unlikely to happen," said Al
Jazeera's Yvonne Ndege, reporting from the city.

"Nigeria's security services have failed to defeat
Boko Haram in five years. Some are asking how will
they do it in six weeks, and whether there is
another motive behind the delay."

The incumbent has been locked in a tight race with
former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari of the
APC.

APC national chairman John Odigie-Oyegun called
the delay "a major setback for Nigerian democracy"
and "highly provocative".

But he added: "I strongly appeal to all Nigerians
to remain calm and desist from violence and any
activity which will compound this unfortunate
development."

The decision to postpone the election also drew
condemnation from the United States, which said it
was "deeply disappointed" by the delay.

In a statement, US Secretary of State John Kerry
warned the Nigerian government against using
"security concerns as a pretext for impeding the
democratic process".

Security boosted

Nigeria and its four neighbouring nations on
Saturday pledged to deploy 8,700 troops, police
and civilians as part of a regional effort to
fight Boko Haram.

"The representatives of Benin, Cameroon, Niger,
Nigeria and Chad have announced contributions
totalling 8,700 military personnel, police and
civilians," the countries said in a statement
after a meeting in Cameroon's capital Yaounde.

Source - Ajazeera

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