Nigeria opens borders following election delay
ABUJA, Nigeria — The Nigerian government on Saturday ordered the reopening of all the nation’s borders following the postponement of presidential and national assembly polls by the electoral body.
The land borders were closed on Feb 14 to ensure a smooth process of the elections earlier scheduled for Saturday.
In a brief statement, Muhammad Babandede, comptroller-general of the Nigeria Immigration Service, said the borders had been reopened for the free movement of persons.
Babandede said immigration officers would continue their normal border control and patrol duties to ensure that all persons crossing Nigeria’s land, air, and sea borders traveled with valid and authentic documents.
Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission on early Saturday announced a postponement of the polls by one week, citing issues bordering on logistics.
The electoral commission said the postponement was due solely to logistical factors and denied political pressure had played any part in the decision. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and his rival, former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, both urged voters to stay calm.
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission, said the election would now be held on Feb 23, adding that the date was “sacrosanct” and that campaigning would be suspended until then.
Yakubu attributed the decision to delays in transporting electoral materials.
“(The postponement) has nothing to do with security, nothing to do with political influence, nothing to do with availability of resources,” he told a gathering of foreign election observers and reporters.
He said some sensitive election materials had been distributed but all had been retrieved and returned to the central bank and an audit would now be conducted. In Nigeria the central bank stores election materials for safe keeping.
Buhari expressed disappointment over the delay but urged Nigerians in a statement to “refrain from all civil disorder and remain peaceful, patriotic and united”.
Observer missions from the European Union, the African Union and other organizations urged Nigerians in a statement “to remain calm and supportive of the election process” and said the electoral commission must adhere strictly to the new date.
Buhari, in power since 2015, faces a tight election contest against Atiku of the People’s Democratic Party. Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and its top oil producer.