Nigeria is to hold a delayed presidential election this Saturday after the initial vote was rescheduled in a dramatic overnight press conference, five hours before polls were due to have opened.
The last-minute cancellation surprised the country and inconvenienced thousands of Nigerians who had travelled a long way to cast their votes. It has also cost the economy $1.5bn (£1.15bn), according to the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) has given several reasons for the delay, including attempted sabotage and logistical issues such as bad weather and problems with delivering the ballot papers.
The governing All Progressives Congress (APC) and its main challenger, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), have both condemned the postponement and accused each other of trying to manipulate the vote.
So does the delay favour anyone?
In a statement issued on the day of the postponement, the APC alleged the PDP wanted to halt the momentum of its candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari. The PDP, whose presidential contender is Atiku Abubakar, on the other hand said Inec had delayed the election to create "the space to perfect their rigging plans".
According to Idayat Hassan, from Abuja-based think tank, the Centre for Democracy and Development, the week-long extension is too brief to have a significant influence on the result of the presidential vote.
She compares the latest postponement to the one in 2015, when the PDP - in government at the time - pushed the election back by six weeks, blaming the Boko Haram insurgency in the north-east. That postponement, she says, ended up favouring the APC because it cast the PDP in a negative light - as a party that would pursue "power at all costs".
She believes this year's delay could slightly benefit the APC as it would increase voter apathy in most areas except those with historically high turnouts - "the north-west and the north-east... both strongholds of President Muhammadu Buhari".
Other analysts say the postponement is likely to harm both parties equally, as their supporters who had travelled home to vote last week will be unable to make another journey this weekend.
Another view holds that the delay will harm Mr Buhari's chances, as the electoral commission's un-readiness reflects poorly on him. The commission's chief, Mahmood Yakubu, was appointed by Mr Buhari in 2015.
Will the election definitely take place this Saturday?
Inec says there will be no further delays, but some observers have questioned whether the elections will go ahead on 23 February. Festus Mogae, a former president of Botswana, told the BBC's Newsday programme that he was doubtful that all the preparations would be completed.
"It's a great deal of work yet to be done," the head of the international election observation mission said.
"I don't know whether that can be managed or not, I am not in a position to judge but it makes me apprehensive."
And the former vice-president of The Gambia, Fatoumata Tambajang, said she too had doubts about whether Inec could meet its new deadline.
"One has to be realistic given the enormity of the activities that are supposed to be taken care of," she said.
As well as overcoming logistical hurdles, she said popular enthusiasm for the electoral process would have to be restored to where it was until last week's cancellation.
What does the election commission say?
For Inec, keeping to the new date is central to maintaining the public's trust. Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the resident electoral commissioner for the capital, Abuja, told the BBC there would be "pandemonium" if election materials were not deployed in time.
"People will just think that Inec has hidden them deliberately, so we can dock some of the results," he said.
The business community has also stressed the importance of avoiding further delays, with the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry warning that economic activity would not pick up until the election had been held.
What happens next?
The first task is to reconfigure some 180,000 card readers that are being used to validate voters' identity cards and check their biometric details. The dates on the readers need to be changed to the new election date.
In a statement, Inec said this process would take five to six days, and is due to be completed by Thursday 21 February.
Some sensitive election materials, including ballot papers, have been returned to the Central Bank of Nigeria for safekeeping. These are scheduled to be deployed around the country by Friday 22 February, at the latest.
Election staff, including an estimated one million so-called ad-hoc staff, will also be travelling then. It is unclear what happened to the staff and volunteers, including members of the country's youth corps, that had already been deployed last Friday.
By law, all campaigning must end 24 hours before polling stations open. After initially saying that the ban imposed last week would remain in force, Inec went back on its decision on Monday, allowing political parties to resume campaigning this week.
By Mayeni Jones
BBC
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Displaced children in Nigeria learn coding at mobile laboratory
Nigeria's internal conflicts have displaced nearly 2 million people, according to the United Nations, with 60 percent of them being children. A program in the Nigerian capital is trying to teach internally displaced children technology skills, including computer coding, with a mobile laboratory.
Twelve-year-old Michael Oladimeji fled with his family from Nigeria’s Borno State two years ago to escape Boko Haram terrorist attacks.
Over 10,000 people are living in camps in Abuja struggling for food, water, health care and education.
But Oladimeji was lucky - he became one of 100 students his age learning computer coding and animation at a mobile laboratory. The tech curriculum includes writing code with a program known as Scratch.
"At home I used to play with my daddy's phone but it's not enough for me to do my coding and to do my Scratch. So since we started this program, I've got the chance to do Scratch and make cartoons,” Oladimeji said.
Children like Oladimeji make up the majority of Nigeria's 1.8 million displaced people.
But Nigeria's Civic Innovation Lab – a technology hub - runs the initiative, which is shaping children's futures, according to program facilitator Angu Kingsley.
"Judging from where they came from, they have little knowledge about computers and education generally. So what we're trying to do is improve on what they already have, the knowledge they already have and build on it,” Kingsley said.
While only a hundred or so displaced kids have benefited so far, the project hopes to expand – if it can secure funding, says program head Fanto Foday.
"We only have few tablets and few computers so we've been having difficulties in the areas of giving assignment because when we leave we have to take the equipment, although the truck is there, they have access to the lab but they don't really have access to the gadgets,” Foday said.
But for conflict-displaced students like Oladimeji, the chance to learn computer coding could be a game-changer.
VOA
Twelve-year-old Michael Oladimeji fled with his family from Nigeria’s Borno State two years ago to escape Boko Haram terrorist attacks.
Over 10,000 people are living in camps in Abuja struggling for food, water, health care and education.
But Oladimeji was lucky - he became one of 100 students his age learning computer coding and animation at a mobile laboratory. The tech curriculum includes writing code with a program known as Scratch.
"At home I used to play with my daddy's phone but it's not enough for me to do my coding and to do my Scratch. So since we started this program, I've got the chance to do Scratch and make cartoons,” Oladimeji said.
Children like Oladimeji make up the majority of Nigeria's 1.8 million displaced people.
But Nigeria's Civic Innovation Lab – a technology hub - runs the initiative, which is shaping children's futures, according to program facilitator Angu Kingsley.
"Judging from where they came from, they have little knowledge about computers and education generally. So what we're trying to do is improve on what they already have, the knowledge they already have and build on it,” Kingsley said.
While only a hundred or so displaced kids have benefited so far, the project hopes to expand – if it can secure funding, says program head Fanto Foday.
"We only have few tablets and few computers so we've been having difficulties in the areas of giving assignment because when we leave we have to take the equipment, although the truck is there, they have access to the lab but they don't really have access to the gadgets,” Foday said.
But for conflict-displaced students like Oladimeji, the chance to learn computer coding could be a game-changer.
VOA
President Buhari vows to deal with vote riggers in Nigeria
Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari says he has ordered the police and military to be "ruthless" with vote-riggers, following the last-minute postponement of the general election.
Critics said his comments condoned "jungle justice".
The incumbent president also called the electoral commission incompetent and ordered an investigation into why the vote was delayed.
Election officials cited "logistical" reasons for the postponement.
Mr Buhari made the comments at an emergency meeting of his All Progressives Congress party (APC) in the capital, Abuja.
"Anybody who decides to snatch [ballot] boxes or use thugs to disturb it [the vote] - maybe this will be the last unlawful action he will take," he said.
He went on to say that anybody who tried to interfere with the election would do so "at the expense of his life".
'Licence to kill'
Nigeria's main opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), said it was a "direct call for jungle justice".
"It is indeed a licence to kill, which should not come from any leader of any civilised nation," said PDP party spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan.
Mr Buhari also hit out at the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).
In his speech to senior party members about the postponement, Mr Buhari said questions needed to be answered about "why such incompetence manifested itself" and promised an investigation.
Inec postponed the election just over five hours before polling stations were due to open on Saturday morning.
They said this was because of problems with transporting ballot papers to some parts of the country.
The presidential and parliamentary polls will now be held on Saturday 23 February.
Governorship, state assembly and federal area council elections have been rescheduled until Saturday 9 March.
Doubts about the new date
However, election observers have told the BBC's Newsday programme that they were not 100% sure the elections would go ahead on Saturday
Festus Mogae, the former president of Botswana, said he was "apprehensive" that all the work that needs to be done, including auditing ballot boxes, will be done in time.
Another international observer, former Vice-President of The Gambia Fatoumata Tambajang, said "it's in doubt because one has to be realistic given the enormity of the activities that are supposed to be taken care of".
Despite these doubts, election commissioner Festus Okoye told the BBC that the commission had ruled out further delays, insisting "there is no challenge any more".
Under the electoral law, campaigning was halted 24 before the election was due to start and the electoral commission said it would remain suspended until polling day on Saturday.
However, the two main parties have said they intended to resume their campaigns.
BBC
Critics said his comments condoned "jungle justice".
The incumbent president also called the electoral commission incompetent and ordered an investigation into why the vote was delayed.
Election officials cited "logistical" reasons for the postponement.
Mr Buhari made the comments at an emergency meeting of his All Progressives Congress party (APC) in the capital, Abuja.
"Anybody who decides to snatch [ballot] boxes or use thugs to disturb it [the vote] - maybe this will be the last unlawful action he will take," he said.
He went on to say that anybody who tried to interfere with the election would do so "at the expense of his life".
'Licence to kill'
Nigeria's main opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), said it was a "direct call for jungle justice".
"It is indeed a licence to kill, which should not come from any leader of any civilised nation," said PDP party spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan.
Mr Buhari also hit out at the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec).
In his speech to senior party members about the postponement, Mr Buhari said questions needed to be answered about "why such incompetence manifested itself" and promised an investigation.
Inec postponed the election just over five hours before polling stations were due to open on Saturday morning.
They said this was because of problems with transporting ballot papers to some parts of the country.
The presidential and parliamentary polls will now be held on Saturday 23 February.
Governorship, state assembly and federal area council elections have been rescheduled until Saturday 9 March.
Doubts about the new date
However, election observers have told the BBC's Newsday programme that they were not 100% sure the elections would go ahead on Saturday
Festus Mogae, the former president of Botswana, said he was "apprehensive" that all the work that needs to be done, including auditing ballot boxes, will be done in time.
Another international observer, former Vice-President of The Gambia Fatoumata Tambajang, said "it's in doubt because one has to be realistic given the enormity of the activities that are supposed to be taken care of".
Despite these doubts, election commissioner Festus Okoye told the BBC that the commission had ruled out further delays, insisting "there is no challenge any more".
Under the electoral law, campaigning was halted 24 before the election was due to start and the electoral commission said it would remain suspended until polling day on Saturday.
However, the two main parties have said they intended to resume their campaigns.
BBC
Monday, February 18, 2019
Video - Residents urged to turn up and vote in the re-scheduled elections
Towns and cities across Nigeria are slowly coming back to life as Nigerians prepare for the working week ahead of the re-scheduled polls. But there are concerns that there will be a low voter turnout. Political parties are, however, urging their supporters to turn up in large numbers and vote on February the 23rd.
Video - INEC appeals to voters to trust its ability to conduct polls in Nigeria
Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission is appealing to voters to trust in its ability to conduct a free, fair and credible election. After an extensive meeting with stake-holders in the nation's capital Abuja, the commission clarified its decision to postpone the general elections by one week.
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