Nigeria's influential
council of state has decided to press ahead with presidential elections
on 14 February, rejecting calls for a postponement.
Election officials had assured the council that they would
meet the 14 February deadline, said Rivers state governor Rochas
Okorocha.
Nigeria's national security adviser had called for a delay to allow more time for voter card distribution.
Nigeria is also battling an Islamist-led insurgency in the north-east.
The council of state - made up of presidential candidates,
ex-leaders, state governors and election officials - met in the capital,
Abuja, on Thursday to discuss the crisis.
"No decision was taken to change the date. The date remains
February 14. Inec (Independent National Electoral Commission) reassured
us that they are prepared to conduct the election," Mr Okorocha told
journalists.
Ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari is President Goodluck
Jonathan's main challenger, in what is expected to be the most tightly
contested poll since military rule ended in 1999.
Several of Nigeria's smaller opposition parties, as well as national security adviser Sambo Dasuki, had been urging a postponement of the poll.
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the comment writers alone and does not reflect or represent the views of StaffyXCLUSIVE.