Elections 2015: National Security Chief Urges INEC To Delay Elections

Nigeria's national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has urged the electoral commission to delay next month's elections to allow more time for voter card distribution. Speaking in London, he said 30 million cards had been distributed over the last year but the same number still remained to be handed out.

Mr Dasuki, speaking at the London think-tank Chatham House, said he had told the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that it would be sensible to postpone the poll within the three months it had to legally take place.

"It costs you nothing, it's still within the law," Mr Dasuki said he had told the Inec chairman. He told Chatham House that a postponement would be "safer for all of us".

"If in one year you've distributed 30 million, I don't see how you will distribute another 30 million in two weeks. It doesn't make sense."

But Inec spokesman, Kayode Idowu said there were currently no plans to delay, according to Reuters news agency. "It is not a conversation of the commission's at all. As far as we are talking now, the date is what it is," Mr Idowu said.

Meanwhile, Lai Mohammed, spokesman of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), told Reuters he was not happy with the proposal. "Why are they not ready? Why should we postpone? We say 'no' to postponement," he said.