Akhir 29, 1432 / April 03, 2011, SPA -- Parliamentary elections in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, have been further postponed to April 9 instead of the rescheduled date of April 4, the Independent National Electoral Commission said Sunday, according to dpa. The commission on Saturday shifted the elections to Monday following the late arrival of result sheets and other voting materials. But commission chairman Attahiru Jega said it was pushed back again after consultation with political parties, civil society organizations and other stakeholders. Presidential and gubernatorial polls slated for April 9 and 16 will now be held on April 16 and 26, respectively. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan of the People's Democratic Party is contesting the presidential race against 19 others. The inconsistencies in the date of the parliamentary elections have generated tension in parts of the country, although most Nigerians believe the shift was a move in the right direction in order to conduct free and credible elections. International observer groups from the European Union and Commonwealth expressed concern over Saturday's development, while noting the enthusiasm of Nigerians to participate in the elections. Some 73.5 million Nigerians are registered to elect 109 senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives across the country. The electoral body has set up 118,973 polling units across the country, while the votes from the units will be collated in 8,809 registration area centres. In a bid to ensure violence-free elections, 17,000 security operatives - made up of the police, military and other para military forces, as well as an anti-bomb squad - will be deployed to strategic locations. The militant group Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which is conducting a campaign of sabotage against the oil industry in Africa's largest oil producer, had threatened to repeat bomb attacks that claimed around a dozen lives late last year. However, the group on Saturday sent out a statement saying it would hold off on further attacks in the interest of stability.
