Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, says the UN is closely monitoring developments related to the March 28 and April 11 polls and fully support the shift in dates.
The statement quoted Ban Ki-moon as saying that the UN was closely monitoring developments and was offering its full support to Nigeria towards the March 28 and April 11 new dates for the polls.
The UN Secretary-General said that the UN High-Level Representative to Nigeria, led by Mohamed Ibn Chambas, will actively engage with the Nigerian authorities in the time leading up to the elections.
He “strongly urges the Government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure these new dates are maintained, in accordance with the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
He commended the presidential candidates to respect the new elections dates and lauded the progress made by the INEC in the preparation for the elections, including the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
Ban Ki-moon urged all relevant national institutions to continue working with the INEC to ensure that all voters exercise their constitutional rights to participate in the elections freely, without intimidation. He, however, expressed strong concern over reports of electoral violence.
Speaking about the attitude of political leaders during the elections, Ban Ki-moon urged them to refrain from inflammatory statements and immediately condemn any statements from their supporters that amounted to an incitement to violence or subversion of the electoral process.
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