UN chief lauds "largely peaceful" Nigerian elections

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday commended Nigeria's "largely peaceful" presidential and parliamentary elections and their "orderly conduct."

"The Secretary-General encourages all Nigerians to continue to maintain a peaceful atmosphere and to exercise patience throughout the ongoing voting process and the announcement of the final results," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesperson.

Calling on all Nigerian parties to channel any complaints via dispute resolution mechanisms, Ban said he believed that the successful conclusion of the electoral process will "mark an important step forward in further consolidating democracy and the rule of law in Nigeria."

The UN chief also condemned the attacks reportedly carried out by Boko Haram and others who have attempted to disrupt the polling, and said he is encouraged by the determination and resilience shown by the Nigerian people in pressing forward and exercising their civic duties despite violence.

Polling stations across Nigeria opened on Saturday amid tight security, as more than 56 million eligible voters went there to cast their ballots to elect a new president.

Early that day, at least 25 people were killed in an attack suspected to be a perpetration of Boko Haram on a community in the northeast state of Borno.

The elections had been delayed by six weeks so that government troops could recapture all the communities seized by radical Boko Haram militants since last year.

The boost of security nationwide not only aims to handle potential Boko Haram attacks, but also to control election-related violence in the African nation, which had seen some 1,000 people killed in 2011. Endi