ABUJA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- Nigeria announced Saturday to postpone the general election scheduled for next weekend, citing security reasons.

The country's electoral chief Attahiru Jega said the presidential and national assembly elections are postponed to March 28, and the governorship and state congress elections to April 11. These elections were previously slated for Feb. 14 and Feb. 28 respectively.

Jega told journalists at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) here in Abuja that the new dates announced were within the ambits of the electoral law of Nigeria.

The new development bordered on the security situation in West Africa, he said, noting it was, however, outside the purview of the electoral body.