BREAKING: INEC To Postpone Feb 14. Elections Over Boko Haram – AP

BEVERLY HILLS, February 07, (THEWILL) –The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will postpone the February 14, 2015 Presidential and National Assembly elections by six weeks to give the newly constituted multinational force fighting the Boko Haram time to secure parts of the northeast presently under the control of the terrorist group, an official close to the commission told The Associated Press on Saturday.

According to the AP, the Nigerian official, with knowledge of the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said INEC would announce the postponement later today.

It is however not clear whether the February 28 Governorship and State House of Assembly elections will be affected.

INEC announced Friday that it would consult with leaders of the registered political parties to discuss issues concerning the elections, before announcing whether the elections would be postponed.

President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election and the ruling PDP are the arrow heads of the postponement of the polls, while main challenger, Major General Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are against any delays.

The APC's presidential candidate is way ahead of President Jonathan in several opinion polls conducted and analysts believe the calls for the postponement of the elections is aimed at slowing the candidate's momentum.

However, the fact remains that millions of voters are currently threatened in the northeast due to the Boko Haram insurgency. The APC is very strong in the north.

INEC says there are 68.8 million eligible voters for the elections. So far it has distributed voting cards to 45.09 voters as at February 5, 2015, representing about 65.5%.

A postponement will give eligible voters more time to pick up their cards.