Nigeria’s election commission postponed the Presidential elections five hours before polls were set to open on Saturday. The Election commission cited challenges amid reports that voting machines were not delivered to all parts of the country.
The chairman of the commission said, “This was a difficult decision to take but necessary for successful delivery of the elections and the consolidation of our democracy.”
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari faces tight race against Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
President Buhari’s term was marked with prolonged personal illness, weak economy, corruption and insecurity. This election is a referendum on Buhari’s first term.
The nation’s elections in 2011 and 2015 were also delayed due to logistics and security issues. The opposition have criticised the decision to delay elections, the main opposition called it “dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable.”
The election commission acknowledged that result sheets and some ballot papers are reportedly missing. The number of new voters registered since January 2018, is exactly the same percentage in each state. There are concerns of mass rigging.
The elections would now take place on the 23rd of January 2019.