ABUJA – Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan called on voters to return to the polls on April 9, pledging to hold a “credible” election after two postponements in the past week. “I call on you all to come out again, en masse on Saturday and on all subsequent election days, to cast your vote,” Jonathan said in an e-mailed statement from his office in the capital, Abuja, today. The government is committed to the “conduct of free and fair elections in the country.”
Nigeria, Africa’s biggest oil producer and most populous nation, rescheduled parliamentary elections that were due to take place on April 2 because voting materials weren’t delivered on time to the 120,000 polling booths across the country. Under the revised schedule released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, the legislative vote will be followed by an election for the president on April 16 and for state governors and legislatures on April 26.
The parliamentary vote is for 109 Senate seats and 360 seats in the House of Representatives. Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party, which won a majority in both houses four years ago, will face challenges from the two main opposition parties, Action Congress of Nigeria and the Congress for Progressive Change.
The vote is a prelude to the presidential contest that will match Jonathan against 18 rivals, including former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari and the ex-head of the anti-corruption agency, Nuhu Ribadu, representing the Action Congress of Nigeria.
Source: Agency Reports
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