17 February

Nigeria's opposition parties have reacted sharply to the abrupt postponement of the presidential election.

The country's Independent Electoral Commission announced on Saturday that it will delay the vote by a week -- just hours before polls were due to open. It cited logistics issues as the reason. Incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari has been in power since 2015. Former vice president Atiku Abubakar, from the largest opposition party, is seen as the main contender against Buhari.

Opposition parties blame the government for the election postponement. They say Buhari's camp realizes that the odds are against it and has put pressure on the electoral commission. People in the capital, Abuja, expressed dismay and anger over the delay. Some said they cannot tolerate the last-minute decision to postpone the vote.

The chief of the electoral commission told a news conference that the postponement has nothing to do with political influence.

Meanwhile, Boko Haram Islamic extremists are increasingly active in the country's northeast. Local media reports say they killed eight people in a recent attack.—NHK