DAKAR, Senegal — Nigeria’s election agency on Saturday night put off a closely contested presidential election after weeks of pressure to postpone it from the ruling party, which analysts say was facing potential defeat for the first time in more than 15 years.
The move is sure to anger the opposition, which has been arguing against a postponement, and inflame its supporters in a volatile electoral environment.
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But electoral violence and pressure from the streets — an ever-present factor in a country where 2011 was considered a peaceful election, although nearly 900 were killed after Mr. Buhari was defeated — will almost certainly now figure in as well, analysts said.
A version of this article appears in print on February 8, 2015, on page A11 of the New York edition with the headline: Nigeria Postpones Elections, Saying Security Is a Concern . Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe
