Poll postponement raises a stink

Africa’s most populous nation to hold credible polls, but political parties lined up behind the delay.
The country’s electoral chief announced the postponement on Sunday after meeting with political leaders, and Nigeria’s two main opposition parties expressed relief at the outcome, saying it gave them enough time to prepare.
President Goodluck Jonathan’s campaign also welcomed the delay and lashed out at suggestions it was involved in sabotage that led to the postponement.
“The (Peoples Democratic Party) is awa-re of the spurious allegations of attempts at rigging made against it by opponents,” a statement said.
“However, we see such distractions as the ranting of those who see failure and envisage defeat at the polls . . . “
This month’s landmark polls are being viewed as a critical test of whether Africa’s largest oil producer can organise a credible ballot after a history of election fraud and violence.
The new dates will now be April 9 for parliamentary polls, April 16 for presidential elections and April 26 for governorship and state assembly polls.
Parliamentary polls were due to be held yesterday, while the presidential vote was previously set for April 9 and state ballots on April 16. Legislative elections had already been postponed once, with the delay announced hours after the vote was to begin on Saturday as materials and personnel failed to arrive at a large number of polling stations.
Electoral commission chief Attahiru Jega went on live television at around midday Saturday to announce he was pulling the plug, appearing solemn and deeply apologetic as he called the situation an “emergency.”
But the two-day delay he announced drew immediate criticism from those who said it did not leave enough time to sort out logistical problems and would give an unfair advantage to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party. – AFP.