LEADING US newspaper the New York Times has waded into the Nigerian elections by claiming that President Goodluck Jonathan postponed the polls by six weeks in a desperate bid to frustrate his opponent General Muhammadu Buhari.

Earlier this month, the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) moved voting, shifting the presidential, senatorial and House of Representatives elections to March 28 from the original scheduled date of February 14. Governorship and state house of assembly elections were also postponed by six weeks, moved to April 11 from the original date of March 28.

In a recent editorial, the New York Times said that the main reason the elections were postponed was to frustrate General Buhari and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). According to the paper, it had become clear to President Jonathan and his ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) that General Buhari’s soaring image and support base would not do the government any good.

Earlier this week, President Jonathan had said that Inec did not consult him before postponing the elections, adding that the polls were postponed after the commission consulted with security chiefs. In a scathing attack on the government, however, the New York Times said it did not buy this explanation.

According to the New York Times: “Any argument to delay the vote might be more credible if President Goodluck Jonathan’s government had not spent much of the past year playing down the threat posed by the militants and if there were a reasonable expectation that the country’s weak military has the ability to improve security in a matter of weeks. It appears more likely Mr Jonathan grew alarmed by the surging appeal of Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler who has vowed to crack down on Boko Haram.

"By dragging out the race, Mr Jonathan stands to deplete his rival’s campaign coffers, while he continues to use state funds and institutions to bankroll his own. That Mr Buhari, who helped launch a coup against a democratically elected government in 1983 and ruled until late 1985, has emerged as potential winner is more of an indictment of Mr Jonathan’s dismal rule than a recognition of the former military chief’s appeal."

It added that Nigerian voters have grown increasingly worried about the stunning rise of Boko Haram, which has committed terrorist atrocities including bombings. According to the paper, the abductions and attacks by the group have exposed the weaknesses of Nigeria’s armed forces and the dysfunction of the government.

Furthermore, the New York Times said that although President Jonathan’s government has in the past been less than enthusiastic and at times obstructive, in response to offers of US and European aid, he appears to be growing increasingly worried. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, President Jonathan said he would welcome American troops to fight the insurgency.

“Beyond security matters, entrenched corruption and the government’s inability to diversify its economy as the price of oil, the country’s financial bedrock, has fallen have also caused Nigerians to look for new leadership. Nigeria, the most populous nation in Africa and a relatively young democracy, cannot afford an electoral crisis.

"That would only set back the faltering effort to reassert government control in districts where Boko Haram is sowing terror. The security forces may not be able to safeguard many districts on election day but postponement is very likely to make the security threat worse," The New York Times editorial added.