Nigeria: election commission warns insecurity could derail February presidential vote

Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned of the threat of increased violence during the election campaign, suggesting that the country’s presidential election in late February should be cancelled or postponed if the current level of insecurity is not tackled.

Nigerians are due to choose a successor to President Muhammadu Buhari after two terms in office, during which his administration has failed to curb the serious security problems plaguing the country, including violent jihadist insurgency in the north-east, separatist tensions in the south and rising crime in the north-west and center regions. “If the insecurity is not monitored and dealt with decisively, it could ultimately culminate in the cancellation and/or postponement of elections in sufficient constituencies to hinder declaration of elections results,” said Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, INEC chairman, during a meeting in Abuja. The electoral commission had recorded at least 50 attacks, including some on its offices, he said.

This scenario could then “cause a constitutional crisis,” hence the need to avoid it at all costs, Zuru said. In view of the 25 February vote, he stressed, all security forces and election officials must be equipped to deal with “any challenge at any time” and the INEC, on its part, is “doing everything possible to ensure that complete security is provided for election staff, materials and processes.”

Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, is in the grip of a severe economic crisis and numerous security problems. On Saturday night, gunmen kidnapped more than 30 people, some of whom were later released, in an attack on a railway station in the south, according to local authorities. Kidnappings are common in Nigeria, particularly in the north-west and central regions.