Nigeria’s election commission has postponed presidential and parliamentary elections by one week, just hours before the polls were to open.

The chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, told reporters Saturday morning — about five hours before polls were supposed to open — that “this was a difficult decision to take but necessary” for successful elections to take place.

He gave few details about why the change was made, but said “proceeding with the election as scheduled is no longer feasible.”

Local media had reported that voting materials had not been delivered to all parts of the country.

An official of the election commission told Reuters news agency that “some result sheets and some ballot papers are reportedly missing.”

The election is expected to be a tight race between incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and his main challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

Nigerian authorities increased security across much of the country Friday ahead of the elections.

Officials in Nigeria’s Kaduna state Friday reported at least 66 deaths in a wave of violence. State officials said the victims included 22 children.

Kaduna is an area known for its ethnic tensions, Christian-Muslim violence and election-related unrest.

Hundreds of people were killed in the region in 2011 when then-opposition candidate Buhari, a Muslim former military ruler from the north, lost to Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian from the south.

President Buhari, 76, who beat Jonathan in a rematch in 2015, is running for re-election against main challenger Abubakar, a 72-year-old businessman and former vice president.

Along with ongoing violence in Kaduna, Nigeria is dealing with the decadelong Boko Haram Islamist insurgency in the northeast, and banditry and kidnappings in the northwest.

Before the announcement of a postponement, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke with both President Buhari and Abubakar by phone on Friday, and “underscored U.S. support for the Nigerian goal of free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.”

Pompeo welcomed both candidates’ pledges to accept the results of a credible election process and said the United States wants to see elections that reflect the will of the Nigerian people, according to a State Department statement.

Pompeo noted the “deep and long-standing partnership” between the United States and Nigeria, Africa’s most-populous democracy and the continent’s largest economy. </s> Nigeria’s presidential and parliamentary elections have been delayed for a week.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) made the announcement just five hours before the polls were due to open on Saturday.

“Proceeding with the election as scheduled is no longer feasible,” commission chairman Mahmood Yakubu said, citing logistical issues.

The vote has been rescheduled for Saturday 23 February.

The announcement came after an emergency meeting at the INEC headquarters in the capital, Abuja.

Why have elections been postponed?

Mr Yakubu said the decision was made following a “careful review” of the election “operational plan”, adding that there was a “determination to conduct free, fair and credible elections”.

He said the delay was necessary to give the commission time to address vital issues and “maintain the quality of our elections”, but did not provide further details.

In the past two weeks several INEC offices have been set alight, with thousands of electronic smart card readers and voter cards destroyed.

There have also been claims of shortages of election material in some of the country’s 36 states.

Nigeria has been forced to bolster its security, with the run-up to the elections marred by violence.

On Friday, officials in north-west Nigeria reported the discovery of the bodies of 66 people, 22 of them children and 12 women, killed by “criminal elements”.

How important is this poll?

The future of Africa’s most populous nation and largest economy is at stake.

Whoever wins will have to address power shortages, corruption, security problems and a sluggish economy.

There are 73 registered candidates in the presidential election, but campaigning has been dominated by President Muhammadu Buhari, 76, and his main challenger, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, 72.

Mr Buhari says he has built a strong foundation for prosperity, but his rival says Nigeria is not functioning.

Both men are from the mainly Muslim north of the country. While both are in their 70s, more than half of Nigeria’s 84 million registered voters are under 35.

Has Nigeria had election issues before?

Yes. Nigeria is not new to voting postponements – previous elections in 2011 and 2015 were delayed by several days.

In 2015, the country ordered the closure of all its land and sea borders ahead of tightly contested elections amid reports that foreigners planned to cross into Nigeria to vote.

That same year, one of the candidates died while the votes were being counted. </s> ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria’s presidential election, which was due to be held on Saturday, has been postponed by a week, the chairman of the country’s electoral commission said hours before polls were due to open.

Addressing journalists in the early hours of Saturday, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu said the delay was needed to hold a free and fair election.

“The commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the election as scheduled is no longer feasible. Consequently the commissioners decided to reschedule the presidential and national assembly elections to Saturday 23 February 2019,” he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari faces a tight election contest in Africa’s largest economy, top oil producer and most populous nation against the main opposition candidate, businessman and former vice president Atiku Abubakar.

The country’s presidential elections in 2011 and 2015 were also delayed over logistics and security issues.

Prior to the announcement there were statements commenting on concerns over the election.

An INEC official told Reuters that “some result sheets and some ballot papers are reportedly missing. We want to track every (piece of) sensitive material, take inventory of what we have and what is missing”.

And a government official said, “The legitimacy of the entire process will be questioned and the winner could lack the moral authority to superintend the affairs of the state.”

One Western diplomat said: “Sensitive materials (ballot papers and results sheets) have been delayed in being distributed.”

Nigeria is also dealing with pockets of instability. Throughout the day, authorities bolstered security in much of the country on the eve of the vote in Africa’s largest democracy where past elections have been marred by violence, voter intimidation and ballot rigging.

Dozens of combat policemen and other security forces were deployed from police headquarters in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state on the country’s northeast frontier that has been worst hit by Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State in West Africa Province. </s> ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's presidential election, which was due to be held on Saturday, has been postponed by a week, the chairman of the country's electoral commission said hours before polls were due to open.

Addressing journalists in the early hours of Saturday, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Mahmood Yakubu said the delay was needed to hold a free and fair election.

"The commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the election as scheduled is no longer feasible. Consequently the commissioners decided to reschedule the presidential and national assembly elections to Saturday 23 February 2019," he said.

President Muhammadu Buhari faces a tight election contest in Africa's largest economy, top oil producer and most populous nation against the main opposition candidate, businessman and former vice president Atiku Abubakar.

The country's presidential elections in 2011 and 2015 were also delayed over logistics and security issues.

The decision to delay this year's vote was criticised by the chairman of the main opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Uche Secondus said the move was an action that was "dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable", adding that it was part of an attempt by Buhari to "cling on to power even when it's obvious to him that Nigerians want him out".

And the president's ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) party criticised the electoral commission for the delay.

Buhari "cooperated fully with INEC by ensuring everything it demanded to conduct free and fair elections were promptly made available", it said in a statement. "This news is therefore a huge disappointment to us," it said.

Prior to the announcement there were statements commenting on concerns over the election.

An INEC official told Reuters that "some result sheets and some ballot papers are reportedly missing. We want to track every (piece of) sensitive material, take inventory of what we have and what is missing".

And a government official said, "The legitimacy of the entire process will be questioned and the winner could lack the moral authority to superintend the affairs of the state."

One Western diplomat said: "Sensitive materials (ballot papers and results sheets) have been delayed in being distributed."

Nigeria is also dealing with pockets of instability. Throughout the day, authorities bolstered security in much of the country on the eve of the vote in Africa's largest democracy where past elections have been marred by violence, voter intimidation and ballot rigging.

Dozens of combat policemen and other security forces were deployed from police headquarters in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state on the country's northeast frontier that has been worst hit by Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State in West Africa Province.

INEC said voting to elect the country's powerful state governors were also to be delayed by a week, to Mar. 9. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Electoral commission chairman Mahmood Yakubu announced the move

Nigeria has delayed its presidential and parliamentary elections for a week, in a dramatic night-time move.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) made the announcement just five hours before the polls were due to open on Saturday.

"Proceeding with the election as scheduled is no longer feasible," commission chairman Mahmood Yakubu said, citing logistical issues.

The two main candidates have asked people to remain calm and be patient.

Mr Yakubu said the difficult decision to postpone was needed to ensure a free and fair vote.

The presidential and parliamentary votes have been rescheduled for Saturday 23 February.

Governorship, state assembly and federal area council elections have been rescheduled until Saturday 9 March.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Main opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar urged his supporters to be patient

The announcement came after an emergency meeting at the Inec headquarters in the capital, Abuja.

What's the reaction?

Nigeria's two main political parties, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People's Democratic Party (PDP), swiftly condemned the move and accused each other of trying to manipulate the vote.

President Muhammadu Buhari, of the APC party, urged calm and appealed to Nigerians to "refrain from civil disorder and remain peaceful, patriotic and united to ensure that no force or conspiracy derail our democratic development".

His main rival Atiku Abubakar has called for calm over the next seven days saying: "I'm appealing to Nigerians to please come out and vote and I'm asking them to be patient about it."

Voters have reacted with a mixture of anger, frustration and resignation.

Responses to Inec's tweet about the postponement were brutal with one man calling it "the height of incompetence".

Another described Inec as "a huge disgrace".

Many had made long journeys to vote. In the northern town of Daura, Musa Abubakar, who had travelled 550km (342 miles) from Abuja to take part in the election, told the BBC that he "couldn't believe" what had happened.

Hajiya Sa'adatu said she was "greatly disappointed" to learn of the delay when she came out to cast her vote in the northern city of Kano.

Image caption Nigerians like Hajiya Sa'adatu only learned of the news when they woke up

But others have been saying that the postponement should mean that everything goes smoothly next week.

Michael Momodu, in Delta state south-east Nigeria, said that he still believed that "the right things will take place" and that "God will deliver".

Why have elections been postponed?

Election chief Mahmood Yakubu said the decision was made following a "careful review" of the election "operational plan", adding that there was a "determination to conduct free, fair and credible elections".

He said the delay was necessary to give the commission time to address vital issues and "maintain the quality of our elections", but did not provide further details.

In the past two weeks several Inec offices have been set alight, with thousands of electronic smart card readers and voter cards destroyed.

There have also been claims of shortages of election material in some of the country's 36 states.

Image copyright Reuters

'Sour taste in voters' mouths'

By Damian Zane, BBC News, in Lagos

At first it seemed like another bout of fake news, but disbelief has been replaced by outrage and disappointment.

The last elections, in 2015, were also postponed, but the announcement coming five hours before the vote is a new record.

Those Nigerians who had intended to vote would have planned their day around it. The whole country was essentially going to shut down as travel was restricted, so the only options were to stay at home or go to the polling station.

Many have also already travelled to the places where they were registered to vote. They will be left wondering what they will do for the next week.

The country is known for pulling things off at the last minute, but this time it wasn't to be. This will have left a sour taste in the mouths of the electorate, which is already cynical about the political process.

Nigeria has been forced to bolster its security, with the run-up to the elections marred by violence.

On Friday, officials in north-west Nigeria reported the discovery of the bodies of 66 people, 22 of them children and 12 women, killed by "criminal elements".

How important is this poll?

The future of Africa's most populous nation and largest economy is at stake.

Whoever wins will have to address power shortages, corruption, security problems and a sluggish economy.

There are 73 registered candidates in the presidential election, but campaigning has been dominated by President Buhari, 76, and his main challenger, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, 72.

Mr Buhari says he has built a strong foundation for prosperity, but his rival says Nigeria is not functioning.

Both men are from the mainly Muslim north of the country. While both are in their 70s, more than half of Nigeria's 84 million registered voters are under 35.

Has Nigeria had election issues before?

Yes. Nigeria is not new to voting postponements - previous elections in 2011 and 2015 were delayed by several days.

In 2015, the country ordered the closure of all its land and sea borders ahead of tightly contested elections amid reports that foreigners planned to cross into Nigeria to vote.

That same year, one of the candidates died while the votes were being counted. </s> YOLA, Nigeria — The Latest on Nigeria’s Election (all times local):

A spokesman for Nigeria’s electoral commission says voting is still taking place Sunday “in several places” across the country.

Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, the commission’s director for publicity, gave no details about specific states where polls are still open. But some of the states affected by delays reportedly include Plateau, Nasarawa and Jigawa.

The head of the electoral commission is expected to address the nation later Sunday as Nigerians await the results of Saturday’s presidential election.

The election has been marred by sporadic violence and delays at some polling stations that faced problems ranging from missing stamps to malfunctioning card readers.

More than 72 million people were eligible to vote.

Vote counting continued Sunday as Nigerians awaited the outcome of a presidential poll seen as a tight race between the president and a former vice-president.

Although voting was peaceful in most areas of Nigeria Saturday, there were a few outbreaks of violence in the vast West African country and many reports of delays at polling stations.

Many polling stations remained open after dark to allow people waiting in line to vote. Turnout appeared light following the last-minute postponement of the election for a week. More than 72 million people were eligible to vote.

There were media reports Sunday of voting still taking place in some remote areas that experienced problems Saturday.

President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who won election in 2015, is seeking his second term against more than 70 candidates. His main rival is Atiku Abubakar, a former vice-president and billionaire businessman.

Many Nigerians, appalled that their country recently became the world leader in the number of people living in extreme poverty, said the election will be decided by economic issues. Nigeria suffered a rare, months-long recession under Buhari when global oil prices crashed, with unemployment growing significantly to 23 per cent and inflation in the double digits.

Abubakar’s party is alleging “deliberate” voter suppression in areas where Buhari’s party is known to be unpopular.

One of the largest domestic observer groups, Watching the Vote, told reporters on Sunday that Nigeria had missed its chance to improve on the 2015 election. Logistical problems caused 59 per cent of the polling stations it monitored to open late, and misconduct at some stations hurt people’s ability to vote. The issues, however, didn’t necessarily undermine the election’s credibility, spokesman Hussaini Abdu said.

In the northern city of Kano tempers flared at one collation centre where unaccredited Abubakar supporters alleged that ballots from a couple of polling units hadn’t been counted. Amid shouting, security personnel pushed them out of the courtyard’s metal door.

A ruling party supervisor, Joy Bako, watched in exasperation before they engaged her in a heated argument.

“It was free and fair,” she said. “Nobody was arguing. I’m surprised at all this noise.”

Observers and workers at the collation centre, and others who had visited multiple centres, reported a peaceful process in an area where voters were expected to largely support Buhari.

Even an opposition supporter, Abubakar Ali, paused from the ruckus to acknowledge that “everything was going clear.” But a lot of people did not come out to vote as compared to the last time, he said.

Godwin Ugbala, who spent the election as an agent for one of the country’s dozens of small political parties, reported a smooth voting day and added his voice to the frustration with Buhari.

“This one failed us in so many ways,” Ugbala said. “No business. Everything is tired.”

He voted for Buhari in 2015 but said the president had “betrayed” the people by not following up on his promises.

Nigeria’s presidential election was held a week late, after the electoral commission said it needed more time to organize the logistics of holding a credible election

Observers said the postponement, blamed on logistical challenges, could favour Buhari, with some Nigerians saying they didn’t have the resources to travel a second time to their place of registration.

It’s unclear when a winner will be announced, but some observers say it could be Tuesday or Wednesday.

Follow AP’s full coverage of the Nigeria elections here: https://www.apnews.com/Nigeria </s> Nigeria’s electoral commission has delayed the country’s presidential election until February 23.

Making the announcement just five hours before polls were set to open on Saturday, it cited unspecified “challenges” amid reports that voting materials had not been delivered to all parts of the country.

The move was expected to cause outrage as many residents of Africa’s most populous nation and largest democracy had relocated for the chance to vote.

“This was a difficult decision to take but necessary for successful delivery of the elections and the consolidation of our democracy,” commission chairman Mahmood Yakubu told reporters in the capital, Abuja. He said more details would be released during an afternoon briefing.

A review of logistics, along with the determination to hold a credible vote, led the commission to conclude that going ahead with the election as planned was “no longer feasible”, he said.

Nigeria postponed the previous presidential election in 2015 because of insecurity in the north-east, which remains under threat from Islamic extremists.

As word filtered out after midnight of a possible election delay at least in some regions, the Situation Room, a civil society collective monitoring the vote, said in a statement that “any suggestion that the election be held in a staggered manner will be totally unacceptable, and would be a recipe for a disastrous election”.

More than 84 million voters in the country with a population of some 190 million had been expected to head to the polls in what is seen as a close and heated race between 76-year-old President Muhammadu Buhari and top challenger Atiku Abubakar, a billionaire former vice president.

Both have pledged to work for a peaceful election even as their supporters, including high-level officials, have caused alarm with vivid warnings against foreign interference and allegations of rigging.

“This is truly disappointing but … Nigeria will prevail,” the spokesman for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on Twitter, noting that Mr Buhari was already in his hometown where he had been set to vote.

When Mr Buhari came to power in 2015 he made history with the first defeat of an incumbent president in an election hailed as one of the most transparent and untroubled ever in Nigeria, which has seen deadly post-vote violence in the past.

Now he could become the second incumbent to be unseated.

His term has been marked by a crash in global oil prices that spun Nigeria’s heavily crude-dependent economy into a rare recession, from which it only emerged in 2017. Unemployment shot up. The country passed India as the nation with the most people living in extreme poverty. More than 13 million children are said to be out of school.

Insecurity on multiple fronts has seen little improvement, worrying neighbors of the West African regional powerhouse and beyond.

While the military pushed Boko Haram extremists out of many communities in the country’s north-east, claims of the group being “crushed” have withered in the face of continuing violence.

A new offshoot pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group has surged in recent months, attacking military bases – and this week, a governor’s convoy -sending tens of thousands more people fleeing.

On top of that, banditry in the north-west, oil militants in the south and deadly fighting in the central region between farmers and herders over increasingly precious land keep security forces stretched and the population on edge.

On Friday, authorities reported at least 66 deaths in a single community this week in what one resident blamed on farmer-herder clashes.

“We love our country and we need our country to be safe from all the violence … and all the nonsense that takes place during election time,” worshipper Amin Muhammad Khalif said as he emerged from Friday prayers in Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city in a nation largely evenly split between Muslims and Christians.

Even in the fight against corruption, in which Mr Buhari could claim some progress, many in Nigeria have expressed concern that those targeted are mostly opposition figures.

Meanwhile, many Nigerians worry about Mr Buhari himself after he spent more than 150 days outside the country for still-unspecified medical treatment.

Spare in both charisma and physique, Mr Buhari spoke for just a few minutes at his final campaign rally on Thursday and struggled to hear or grasp a number of questions in a recent televised town hall.

Borrowing from US President Donald Trump, top challenger Mr Abubakar has campaigned on the theme of “Let’s Make Nigeria Work Again”, while vowing to apply his business acumen to privatise Nigeria’s all-important state oil company and lift 50 million people out of poverty by 2025.

Despite such proclamations, Mr Abubakar has never managed to shake years of corruption allegations. And, as Mr Buhari grumbled in his final pre-election address to the nation on Thursday, one “cannot simply proclaim jobs into existence”.

In the end, the now-delayed vote could come down to the sorry state of Africa’s largest economy and people’s empty pockets, and stomachs.

In Abuja, 56-year-old Bako Sharibu was wrist-deep in a dumpster as he fished out pieces of plastic for recycling. His shy smile disappeared as he recalled that he once had good work as a caretaker. Now he struggles to make his target of 300 naira (65p) a day.

“Everybody suffers too much. Hungry everywhere,” he said, adding that if he could save a few thousand naira he would send the money to his three children in northern Kaduna state.

Then he shook his pocket. It was near sunset. He had just 50 naira (11p).

He will be voting for Mr Abubakar, he said. Nigeria needs change. </s> Tens of millions of Nigerians went to the polls on Saturday a week after a last-minute election delay, as Africa’s most populous nation struggles with challenges including a stumbling economy and an ongoing Islamist insurgency by Boko Haram militants.

Just before polls opened, one soldier was killed and 20 others were injured as Boko Haram fighters waged attacks in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and the largest city in the northeast.

The election was scheduled for last Saturday but a delay was announced just five hours before polls opened, amid reports that voting material had not been delivered to all parts of the country.

The postponement was expected to push turnout lower. Nigeria has no absentee voting system, and so many who returned to their hometowns to vote last week returned to where they live, not being able to afford a week away from work.

The delay also sparked widespread doubts in the integrity of the poll, with both the ruling and main opposition parties trading accusations of backdoor influence over the commission.

There were reports of sporadic violence, but there appeared to be no major disruptions — even though some polling station opened so late that voting in those areas could be extended to Sunday. Results are expected by early next week.

[From president to peanut farmer, Nigerians shocked by election delay]

The ruling party is represented by the incumbent, Muhammadu Buhari, a 76-year-old formed army general whose election in 2015 marked the first time any candidate had beaten a sitting president.

Atiku Abubakar, a 72-year-old veteran politician and business tycoon, is Buhari’s main challenger, though more than 60 other candidates from minor parties are also in the mix.

One of the most pressing campaign issues has been rampant violence around the country. More civilians were killed in targeted attacks in Nigeria last year than in either Yemen or Afghanistan, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Boko Haram and a breakaway faction that has pledged allegiance to ISIS have terrorized northeastern Nigeria for a decade, and simmering tensions between farmers and herders have exploded into across most of central and northwestern Nigeria.

Days before the initial vote date, a large convoy carrying Borno’s governor was attacked by Boko Haram. Government officials claimed only three were killed, but witness accounts cited by Reuters indicated at least 100 may have died and between 100 and 200 were taken captive. Boko Haram have equated voting with apostasy, warning civilians to stay away from polling stations.

Analysts say that hundreds were killed in dozens of incidents related to the election since late last year.

“In the capital, Abuja, the process of opening the polling stations was long, cumbersome, things were moving slowly,” said John G. Tomaszewski, Africa director at the International Republican Institute, an American organization monitoring the election. “But by and large, people are being very patient, which is great to see.”

Buhari has implored voters not to stop his “moving train” which he says has gained momentum against insecurity and is on its way to reviving a sluggish economy in which almost a quarter are unemployed.

Nigeria receives significant support from international organizations, as well as the United States and Britain, which held Nigeria as a colony until 1960. The U.S. government gave Nigeria more than $450 million in 2018, mostly for humanitarian aid relating to food and health. Buhari has traveled to Washington to meet President Trump and Nigeria works with the U.S. military on regional security issues.

“I will congratulate myself. I'm going to be the winner,” Buhari told reporters after he voted this morning in his hometown in Katsina state, the country’s poorest.

Buhari’s voter base is particularly strong in the mostly Muslim and overwhelmingly poor north of the country. He is perceived to be fairly untainted in a political arena renowned for corruption.

“This election is about who can be the bigger transformer,” said Abubakar Garba Mshelia, who teaches political science in the northeastern city of Yola and supports Buhari. “We need a credible person, with a plan. Buhari has proved he is without fear or favor.”

Buhari’s opponents say he lacks the energy to meet Nigeria’s mounting crises. Buhari spent almost half of 2017 in a London hospital nursing an undisclosed illness. He has denied that uses a body double.

Abubakar, who is popularly referred to by his first name Atiku, became enormously wealthy through an oil and logistics company he founded in 1982. Since then, he has been in and out of politics, sometimes on Buhari’s side, and at one point was vice president.

He has four wives and 28 children, and his autobiography is titled “Making Money.” His supporters hope he can attract foreign investment and spread Nigeria’s immense wealth around. Despite being Africa’s largest economy, almost 100 million Nigerians live on less than $2 a day.

Atiku has been subject to extensive corruption allegations. In 2005, as vice president, he was involved in an F.B.I. investigation of U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, for allegedly bribery and collusion to help Jefferson win business contracts in Nigeria.

In 2010, a United States Senate report accused Atiku and Jennifer Douglas, his American fourth wife, of laundering over $40 million into the United States between 2000 and 2008.

Atiku’s campaign has repeatedly accused Buhari’s party of rigging, though the evidence they have provided has not been verified by independent observers.

Doubts of the election’s fairness, however, were deepened in January when Buhari dismissed Nigeria’s chief justice over his alleged failure to declare his assets before taking office. The chief justice would be the arbiter of any election-related disputes, and so the timing of his removal provoked alarm.

Ni­ger­ian politics has been criticized as being a closed club for elites to compete over extensive patronage systems and access to the country’s massive and mostly state-owned oil wealth.

In an op-ed, Ni­ger­ian novelist and satirist Elnathan John wrote that neither Buhari or Abubakar represented “any dis­cern­ible political ideology.”

“Almost every prominent politician supporting the opposition candidate has at some point been a member of the governing party. Quite a few government ministers and prominent politicians publicly supporting President Buhari were until recently members of the opposition,” he wrote. “Switching political parties not only is simple but also often needs no justification.”

Nigeria also comes close to dead last in the number of women it elects. Experts predict the number of women to win seats is likely to fall below 5 percent in this election.

In Yola, may women lamented the paucity of choices in this election, regardless of gender.

“We don’t have leaders who stand by us,” said Blessing Williams, 24, who works at a modest tailor shop in Yola. “Ours have no humility even though they are only where they are because of us small people.”

Ni­ger­ian soldiers ‘rescued’ women, then starved and raped them, report says

This little-known conflict in Nigeria is now deadlier than Boko Haram

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news </s> Nigeria’s presidential and national assembly elections have been delayed by one week and will now take place on Saturday, February 23, authorities said.

“Following a careful review of the implementation of the logistics and operational plan, and the determination to conduct free, fair and credible elections, the commission came to the conclusion that proceeding with the election as scheduled is no longer feasible,” the chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, said at a news conference early Saturday local time.

“This was a difficult decision for the commission to take, but necessary for the successful delivery of elections and the consolidation of our democracy,” he said.

Polls were due to open at 2 a.m. ET Saturday, February 16.

Elections for governorships, state House of Assembly and area councils are on hold until March 9, the INEC said.

The lead-up to the elections has been marked by violence, prompting warnings from the British and US governments to say they would deny visas and likely prosecute those found inciting violence during the vote.

Two Nigerian electoral commission offices housing voting materials were burned down within the space of a week.

In the presidential election, Muhammadu Buhari, 76, of the All Progressives Congress party, known as the APC, is standing for re-election. He will be running against 71 other presidential candidates.

His main challenger is Atiku Abubakar, 72, of the People’s Democratic Party, or PDP. He is a business tycoon and former vice president.

The vote comes at a critical time for the country’s economy, a lynchpin of the region. The recent oil price crash sent Nigeria’s economy into turmoil when the price of a barrel plunged to $40 at its lowest from a high of $100, leaving the country’s major revenue source depleted.

An estimated 87 million Nigerians now live in poverty, the highest number of impoverished people in the world, according to The Brookings Institution.
Voting is delayed in Nigeria for a week, hours before polling was due to start because of violent incidents in the lead up to the election.