War and General Elections in Nigeria
On Tuesday, President Barack Obama spoke “directly to...the people of Nigeria”, reminding us, so to speak of our triumphant struggles for independence and subsequently against military dictatorship. He then pointed out that: “a historic opportunity to help write the next chapter of Nigeria’s progress” lies in the general elections which commence on March 28, with the most keenly contested presidential election in Nigeria since Independence in 1960. Elections for national legislators will hold on the same day, while those for governors and state legislators are scheduled for April 11 [1] . The two sets of elections were earlier scheduled to take place on February 14 and 18, respectively. A week before they were to commence, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced a six-week postponement. The military service chiefs had written a letter to the electoral umpire demanding postponement. The excuse was that the military was in the midst of an offensive ag...