Presidential and Parliamentary elections in Nigeria Postponed

INEC moves next week's presidential and parliamentary elections in Nigeria to March 28 citing safety as the main concern.

The Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Attahiru Jega, said Saturday that the vote would be rescheduled for March 28 because security agencies were unable to guarantee safe elections while they focus on battling Boko Haram militants.

"We wish to call on all Nigerians to accept this in good faith to deepen democracy in our country Nigeria," he said.Political parties and civil society groups spoke out against the movement, representatives of the ruling PDP were divided on the issue.

The United States criticized the postponement of the election sharp.The government in Washington was also "deeply disappointed", told US Secretary of State John Kerry. "It is critical that the government does not use security concerns as an excuse to prevent the democratic process," Kerry said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the presidential candidates and the Nigerian authorities to guarantee a nonviolent choice. Experts fear that the choice shift could lead to violent clashes between the two bearing. After the previous election in 2011, about 1,000 people were killed in clashes.