Nigeria’s elections were postponed by a week to Feb. 23 just five hours before polling units were set to open last Saturday, causing shock and disappointment among many voters.
President Muhammadu Buhari and his rival, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, urged voters to stay calm.
Both leading candidates’ parties accused each other of being behind the delay and colluding with figures within the electoral commission. Neither party has provided evidence for this.
The electoral commission said the postponement was due solely to logistical factors and denied political pressure had played any part in the decision.
This is the third straight election to be postponed. Presidential elections in 2011 and 2015 were also delayed over logistics and security issues.
Nigeria will on Saturday choose between Buhari and Atiku, both in their 70s. Between them, the two candidates have run for president nine times. Almost 70 other candidates are running, though their
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