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Senior UN official visits Nigeria ahead of polls

Xinhua, March 17, 2015 Adjust font size:

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman arrived in Nigeria on Monday for a two-day visit to support the country's upcoming general elections.

Feltman's visit is to convey UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's message on the importance of holding the elections in accordance with the new electoral calendar issued by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq at a daily briefing.

"He will encourage all relevant national institutions to work with the Electoral Commission to ensure that all eligible Nigerians can exercise their constitutional right to freely vote on the new dates set," said Haq.

Nigeria's rescheduled presidential and national assembly elections will be held on March 28, while the governorship and state congresses elections, on April 11.

The elections were previously set on Feb. 14 and Feb. 28 respectively. The country announced on Feb. 7 a six-week postponement to the elections citing fears over security and the Boko Haram insurgency. Endite