A week before Nigeria was supposed to hold presidential and legislative elections, the country’s electoral commission announced that it will be postponing them by six weeks to March 28 — and Abuja’s top development partners were quick to voice their concerns.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond argued the delay is uncalled for. Nigeria’s security situation, while still an uphill battle, he said “should not be used as a reason to deny the Nigerian people from exercising their democratic right.”
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry meanwhile said the United States is “deeply disappointed” with the decision, and referred to alleged political interference with the country’s Independent National Electoral Commission as “unacceptable.”