Voting delayed in parts of Nigeria

Late arrival of election material, poor internet network affect election take off, say officials

By Olanrewaju Kola

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Voting was delayed in parts of Nigeria on Saturday following late arrival of election material.

In parts of Nigeria's commercial hub Lagos, northeast Maiduguri, Kano in the northwest and southern Port-Harcourt, voting did not start until about 11 a.m. local time (1000GMT).

"This delay is caused after most of the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) failed to boot due to poor network and we had to call the technician to help," Tijjani Hassan, a collation official told Anadolu at the Lamisula-Jabamari Collation center in Maiduguri about two hours after the start of voting.

Dozens of election supervisors and officials waited at this center until about 11 a.m. local time to collect election material.

Some candidates have requested the country's election authority to extend voting time.

Nearly 94 million voters are expected to vote to choose a new president and members of parliament.

Kaynak: