Nigeria's ruling party calls for peaceful polls

Nigeria's ruling party has called on the security agencies and electoral commission to ensure that Saturday's elections are free, fair and credible in all states.

The governorship and State House of Assembly elections are scheduled to be held across Nigeria Saturday, two weeks after opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari defeated incumbent Goodluck Jonathan in a presidential election in late March.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it had done everything necessary to ensure a smooth election.

Kayode Idowu, chief press secretary to INEC's chairman, told Xinhua that after the March 28 elections, the commission evaluated the processes to ensure that all identified challenges were addressed.

In the late March elections, voters in some places experienced card reader hiccups, prompting criticism of the INEC over shoddy preparation.

Parents and guardians in the country have been warned to keep their underaged children and wards away from the polling units during Saturday's elections.

Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party had raised concerns by reports of underaged persons being accredited to vote in some northern states, seen as opposition strongholds.

Idowu said that the commission had instructed the Resident Electoral Commission in the states to re-engage security agencies in order to ensure adequate security during the election.

The government would not hesitate to discipline anyone who tries to disrupt the elections, the northeast Bauchi State government said in a statement. Endi