Nigeria’s presidential election, threatened with an opposition boycott, will take place as planned on Saturday, an official with the electoral commission said Thursday.
“The election is holding; no doubt about it,” electoral commission spokesman Segun Adeogun told AFP.
The Nigerian government has already given assurances that the election will take place on the scheduled date, despite the boycott threat.
Eighteen opposition parties earlier this week called for the disbanding of the election commission and demanded that Saturday’s presidential ballot be postponed until “transparency and fairness” could be ensured.
They also called for the annulment of last Saturday’s regional polls, which international observers described as marred by fraud and which triggered violence that left at least 20 dead.
The United States on Wednesday called on the opposition parties not to carry out their boycott.
But the State Department also urged Nigeria’s government to take “immediate and comprehensive” action to prevent electoral misconduct and irregularities ahead of Saturday’s polls.
“We urge Nigeria’s political parties to adhere to the constitutional process and to participate in these elections,” State Department spokeswoman Julie Reside said.
“Evidence of wrongdoing should be brought to the attention of authorities and all parties should cooperate in the peaceful resolution of disputes through appropriate legal means,” she said.
Nigeria currently supplies around one fifth of US oil imports.