NIGERIA’S ELECTORAL commission has warned that next month’s presidential election may have to be cancelled or postponed if the current level of insecurity in the country persists.

Voters in Africa’s most populous country are set to take to the polls on February 25 to elect a new leader to replace President Muhammadu Buhari, a former general, who will not seek re-election after serving two terms in office.

However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) has warned that the elections may not go ahead if rising levels of armed violence are not tackled.

During a meeting in Abuja, Abdullahi Abdu Zuru, a leading  Inec commissioner said: “If insecurity is not monitored and reduced, it could lead to the cancellation and/or postponement of the elections in enough constituencies to prevent the announcement of the results.”

Crisis

Zuru said that such a move could “precipitate (a) constitutional crisis,” adding it “must not be allowed to happen and shall not be allowed to happen”.

In light of the February 25 vote he said that security forces and election officials must be equipped to deal with “any challenge at all times”.

Zuru went on to say that Inec is “doing everything possible to ensure that complete security is provided for election staff, materials and processes”.

Nigeria is facing a wide range of problems including a severe economic crisis. Violent jihadist insurgency in the north-east, armed crime, and separatist tensions in the south have all worsened during President Buhari’s tenure in office.

Inec issued an earlier warning last year about the potential for increased violence during the forthcoming elections. It noted that it had already recorded at least 50 attacks on its offices across the country between 2019 and 2022.

Eighteen candidates are vying to succeed Buhari, including Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP).