"disappointed". Nigeria has been battling an insurgency by
Boko Haram in the north-east. Thousands of people have died as a result of the militant group's insurgency over the past
six years. Boko Haram has also started attacking Nigeria's neighbours: on Sunday, for the second time in three days, the militants attacked the Niger border town of Diffa. At least one person was killed in a blast in the town's market, with some witnesses
saying a suicide bomber was responsible. 'Unfortunate development' APC Chairman John Odigie-Oyegun said the move to delay the elections until 28 March,
announced late on Saturday, was "highly provocative" and "a major setback for Nigerian democracy". Earlier on Saturday, many protesters called for the vote to go ahead as scheduled Election commission chief Attahiru Jega
said he had not been coerced into
postponing the vote However, he urged Nigerians to "remain
calm and desist from violence and any activity which will compound this unfortunate development". Former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari from the All Progressives Congress (APC) is
challenging incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, who heads the People's Democratic
Party (PDP), in the upcoming elections. Correspondents say it looks set to be a tight
race between the two. Opposition officials accuse the military of
forcing the electoral commission into the delay to help the sitting president's campaign. However, Attahiru Jega, head of the election
commission, said the postponement was
necessary as he had been told that troops
would not be available to protect voters as
they were too busy conducting operations
against Boko Haram. "The commission cannot lightly wave off the
advice of the nation's security chiefs," he
said. Analysis: Will Ross, BBC Nigeria
correspondent, Lagos The delay is highly contentious and will be
seen by many Nigerians as foul play. What is
not clear at this stage is whether it will
favour President Goodluck Jonathan or his
rival, Muhammadu Buhari. Attahiru Jega made a point of saying this was
a decision taken by the electoral commission
but clearly the "referee" was under intense
pressure. The Boko Haram conflict has raged for five
years but just days before the vote,
Professor Jega was suddenly told the entire
military would be focused solely on the
north-east - in other words, "you are getting
no help from the military, you are on your own". With the threat of violence so real, he
was put in a tight corner. It seems highly unlikely that the conflict will
be brought to an end within the next few
weeks, so will the election be held at all?
That may depend on whether some powerful
personalities feel President Jonathan is well
placed for a victory. Who are Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamists? How have Boko Haram become so strong? The country's national security adviser had
called for a postponement last month, saying
that more time was needed to distribute
biometric voter cards. The ruling PDP party praised the
postponement, and said the commission was
facing "numerous logistical problems and
numerous internal challenges", the AP news
agency reported. However, US Secretary of State John Kerry
said the US was "deeply disappointed" by the
latest development. "Political interference with the Independent
National Electoral Commission is
unacceptable, and it is critical that the
government not use security concerns as a
pretext for impeding the democratic
process," he said. More than a million people have been
displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency Parliamentary elections due to take place on
14 February have also been postponed to 28
March, and elections for state governors, and
assemblies slated for 28 February have been
moved to 11 April. The Boko Haram insurgency has led to more
than a million people fleeing their homes.
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