2015 General Elections To Hold In February

Nigeria is to hold its next presidential election on February 14, 2015, the Independent National Electoral Commission said Friday, with incumbent head of state Goodluck Jonathan expected to seek a second term.

"The commission has scheduled the presidential and National Assembly elections for 14th February 2015," the INEC said in a statement.

The commission said governorship and elections for state assemblies would be held on February 28 next year.

It also fixed June 21 and August 9 this year for the gubernatorial polls in Ekiti and Osun, two states in the western part of Nigeria where fresh elections are due at the expiration of the tenure of the incumbents.

The elections are expected to be fiercely contested between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party and the coalition of opposition parties, now called the All Progressives Congress. Smaller parties, such as Labour are also expected to play the spoilers in some of the states.