President Goodluck Jonathan has denied being consulted over the postponement of the elections to March 28th.
Election officials took the decision on the advice of security officers concerned about the Islamist-led insurgency in the north-east, he said.
The six-week delay was not a “big deal”, he said on national television.
APC have made claims that Mr Jonathan pushed for the polls to be delayed because he feared defeat.
Mr Jonathan said he would “happily” give up the presidency if he lost.
The “international community” sometimes saw the postponement of elections in African states as an attempt by the incumbent to cling to power, he said.
“This is not the case in Nigeria,” Mr Jonathan added, giving an assurance that the government elected on 28 March would be sworn in by 29 May in accordance with the constitution.
On Tuesday, Nigeria’s former President Olusegun Obasanjo added his voice to the concerns, telling London’s Financial Times newspaper that he hoped Mr Jonathan was “not going for broke and saying: ‘Either I have it or nobody has it.’
Mr Jonathan said the Independent National Election Commission acted within the constitution when it postponed the polls.
Difficulties in distributing voter cards and security concerns were legitimate reasons for the delay, he said.
Source: BBC