Don't Delay Elections - US

The United States called for Nigeria’s presidential elections to be held on time, as the Indepndent National Electoral Commission weighs a delay over difficulty distributing voter cards.

The US supports “peaceful, free, transparent and credible electoral processes in Nigeria and renews its calls on all candidates, their supporters and Nigerian citizens to reject election-related violence,” deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement.

“The United States also looks to Nigeria to hold these elections on time.”

The presidential election is scheduled for Saturday, February 14.

Harf urged the country’s security forces to be impartial so Nigerians can vote “safely and without undue delay.”

INEC is scheduled to announce on today if it plans to postpone the polls.

Some politicians have voiced concern over the commission’s inability to distribute identification cards to 68.8 million registered voters and unrest in the North-East of the country, where hundreds of thousands of people have been impacted by fighting with terror sect, Boko Haram.

All Progressives Congress presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari told AFP he was expecting a clear victory against incumbent Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party.