Nigeria postpones election for new state governors

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — An official says Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission has postponed the nation’s March 11 gubernatorial election citing logistical challenges. The election was rescheduled for March 18, giving the electoral body another week to reset voting machines used in last month’s presidential election. The announcement was made late Wednesday by Festus Okoye, a spokesman for Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission. He says a court ruling Wednesday granted the election commission’s request to reconfigure the machines but that ruling came much too late for the timely completion of the process. Voters will elect new governors in 28 of Nigeria’s 36 states in the coming election.