Nigeria election delay probably cut turnout, say US observers
It is unclear when the winner of the presidential poll will be declared
Abuja — A week-long delay in holding Nigeria’s presidential election before it took place on Saturday damaged public confidence in the process and probably reduced voter turnout, the US observer mission says. Derek Mitchell, president of the US observer mission, spoke with early results about to start trickling in. It was unclear when a winner would be declared but the vote pitting President Muhammadu Buhari against businessman and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar was expected to be Nigeria’s tightest since the end of military rule in 1999. Buhari, 76, is a former military ruler seeking a second term on an anticorruption platform, while Atiku, 72, has pledged above all to expand the role of the private sector. The outcome appeared to hinge on which man voters trusted most to revamp an economy still struggling from a 2016 recession.
At stake is the leadership of Africa’s top oil producer and biggest economy where a decade-long battle with Islamist militants concentrated in ...
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