The legislative elections of Nigeria already postponed twice and opened Saturday in an explosion at a polling station in Maiduguri in the north-east of the country has made several wounded.
On Friday, a bomb had already exploded in a polling station near Abuja in the center of the country leaving 11 dead and 38 wounded. The balance of the explosion of Maiduguri has not yet been clarified.
This vote marks the start of a marathon election, which must continue with the presidential April 16.Polling stations have opened in some areas as scheduled at 08:00 local time (0700 GMT) but others could not start on time, found the AFP journalists.
A poll postponed twice
These elections take place in almost all districts of the country, had been postponed last Saturday April 4 and April 9, due to the absence of electoral materials and personnel in a large number of polling stations.
"I think today will be different.(Electoral Commission) is ready, "said Fatai Awofolaju, an official election in Lagos.
In Lagos, the economic capital, Abuja, the administrative capital and Kano (North), the second city of the country, polls opened at 8:00 or shortly thereafter.In Bayelsa State which is from the President Goodluck Jonathan, they opened with 90 minutes delay.
This election that is expected to test the ability of the country's most populous country with 160 million people to hold free elections.
Attacks and armed robbery threaten legislative
The explosion of a bomb Suleija Friday, some 45 km from Abuja (center) in a polling place elections and preparing where 11 people were killed and 38 injured, has not been claimed. The vote in this constituency has been postponed.Chairman Jonathan presidential candidate, denounced a "heinous terrorist bombing" and ordered increased security at the premises of the Electoral Commission throughout the country.
Gunmen also attacked Friday in Shani, Borno state in north-east, a police station where election officials were responsible for the supervision of election materials, killing four people.
The previous elections in Nigeria were marred by fraud and violence.Since November, the NGO Human Rights Watch has already recorded 85 deaths in pre-election violence.
The borders were closed, traffic restrictions were imposed on vehicles and soldiers patrolled the strategic points.
The impact of the attacks was difficult to measure. "What bomb?" We have no problem here, "commented Bode Oshowole Saturday, a printer 61, in a polling station in Lagos.
"They're trying to scare us but it does not," responded the head of another office."Nigeria can not be turned into another Afghanistan or Iraq," said Nnamdi Ekweogu.
In a little over 10% of precincts where the ballots could not be printed in time, the legislation will be held April 26, the date of elections of governors and assemblies of the 36 states of the federation.The postponement affects 15 out of 109 senatorial districts and 48 constituencies which elect the 360 members in the House of Representatives.
"Several countries in Africa have been able to hold successful elections, and if we fail, we can not claim a leadership role or to discipline anyone for failure," he said Thursday Jonathan to a delegation of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), based in Washington, which supports democratic institutions and practices worldwide. The NGOs in Nigeria has sent more than 50 observers from more than 23 countries, working with 1700 Nigerian observers.
