The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has decided to postpone the 2015 General Elections.
Calls had been made for the elections to be postponed and INEC had said on Friday, February 6, that it would reach a final decision on Saturday, 7.
An official close to INEC told The Associated Press that the commission decided to shift the polls in order to allow a newly constituted multinational force to secure the North-Eastern region of the country which has been suffering attacks from terrorist sect, Boko Haram.
The multinational force consists of troops from Chad, Niger and Cameroon which have also suffered attacks from the sect.
The postponement will also give INEC more time to distribute millions of Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) to prevent mass disenfranchisement among Nigerians.
The poll shift was opposed by the Council of State and US Secretary of State, John Kerry after an initial call was made by National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki