INEC approves postponement of elections in some areas

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has approved the postponement to Sunday of elections in some polling units where accreditation was challenging. 

Two of the polling units affected by such postponement are at Iyalla Street in Alausa, Ikeja, where the presiding officer announced the postponement because card readers were not working and there was no back-up.


It is not yet clear the full details of polling units affected by such postponements and total number of voters that could be affected. However, in a statement via its twitter handle @inecnigeria on Saturday evening, the electoral agency stated that “in PUs where accreditation was suspended to the next day in accordance with the guidelines, arrangements will be made for voters to vote tomorrow, subject to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2010.”

The statement also gave permission to electoral officials to do manual accreditation of voters when card readers are causing problems. Saturday's elections are to elect a president and members of the federal parliament in Africa's largest country.

 The presidential elections is seen as one of the closest in the nation's history and is mainly between the incumbent President, Goodluck Jonathan of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.