The Canadian government has expressed concern over the shift of the general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Parliamentary Secretary to Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs and for International Human Rights, Deepak Obhrai, said in a statement:

“The people of Nigeria must be allowed to exercise their democratic right to choose their representatives through free, fair, peaceful and credible elections.

“All institutions of state as well as political parties and candidates must uphold democratic values. It is particularly important that security agencies provide security for elections in an impartial manner and those journalists are allowed unfettered access in reporting on the election process.”

Meanwhile, ECOWAS has called on all the political actors in the country to respect the decision by INEC and accept it in good faith.

While noting the concerns and disappointment of Nigerians and all other stakeholders occasioned by the shift, the commission urged all Nigerians to abide by the democratic process and uphold the rule of law.

It said in a statement in Abuja: “ECOWAS has noted the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to respectively postpone the presidential and national legislative elections scheduled to hold on February 14 to March 28, 2015                                                                                                                                                                                                                          and the governorship and state legislative elections from February 28 to April 11, 2015, as a result of security challenges.”

It also called on security services to remain dedicated towards restoring normalcy in the North East of the country.