WHO: American University School of International Service Expert Carl LeVan

WHAT: Nigerian Election Postponement

WHEN: February 10 - ongoing

WHERE: American University, in-studio, via telephone

BACKGROUND: Nigeria’s presidential elections were postponed from February 14 to March 28 over the weekend leaving many troubled regarding the democratic future of the country.

American University School of International Service expert Carl LeVan is available to discuss the election postponement in Nigeria as it relates to other events taking place in the country from raids on Boko Haram to the 300 days and counting for the missing girls. LeVan is author of Dictators and Democracy in African Development: The Political Economy of Good Governance in Nigeria(Cambridge University Press, 2015). Prior to entering academia, LeVan worked for U.S. Representative John Conyers (D-MI) and then as the National Democratic Institute's country director in Nigeria. LeVan will also be on-the-ground as part of the Nigeria 2015 Election Day Mission Delegation.

On the election postponement, LeVan says:“The postponement of Nigeria’s election is highly suspect and a clear effort to either defer or worse, deter democracy. Everyone expected some complications and logistical delays, but the competent, experienced, and the trusted commissioner at the head of the electoral commission has been transparent about both progress and obstacles to preparation. The Commission appeared ready, and so did the voters. “

Is the security concern a fig leaf to buy time to win voters? LeVan observes:“The National Security Advisor’s sudden announcement – that the military cannot provide security for the election – is based more on new political developments than a change in the security situation in the northeast, where the country faces a brutal insurgency. Just five days before, the Chief of Defence Staff said they could provide security for voters. However a number of things have changed. A nationwide survey revealed a statistical tie between the two leading candidates, and new evidence of the security services’ partisanship came to light with a leaked recording of a conversation between the governor an key generals in a special election last summer. The military said they need another six weeks to increase their counter-insurgency efforts against Boko Haram in the northeast. This surprised members of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign, who wondered why the military didn’t step up its efforts six years ago when the violence first escalated. The military’s message to the electoral commission amounts to an abdication of its constitutional obligations, and a coalition of leading civil society organizations has asked the military chiefs to resign.”

-AU-