Nigerian authorities came under fire on Sunday over the decision to postpone national elections in the face of relentless Boko Haram violence, with the opposition branding the move a “major setback for democracy”. Nigeria’s electoral commission announced over the weekend that the presidential and parliamentary polls would be postponed from February 14 to March 28. The announcement came after weeks of near-daily attacks by the insurgents in the north-east, which had threatened the safety of the vote. But some observers charged that the political woes of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan — who faces a stiff challenge in his re-election bid against ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari — were the real reason for the delay.
Buhari said the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had been “gravely compromised” by the six-week postponement.
“Although INEC acted within its constitutional powers, it is clear that it has been boxed into a situation where it has had to bow to pressure,” he told a news conference in Abuja. His All Progressives Congress (APC) went further, calling the decision a “major setback for democracy”.
Full Article: Nigeria under fire over vote delay – Yahoo News.