SATURDAY’S presidential elections in Nigeria “broadly reflected” the people’s will despite some “irregularities,” the United States’s State Department said on Monday.”Respected American and international observers have stated that the alleged and apparent election irregularities would not have affected the final outcome of the elections,” said department spokesperson James Foley. He praised outgoing Nigerian president General Abdulsalami Abubakar for his “sincere and successful efforts” in setting the stage for the elections “in just a few months” but also urged the authorities to investigate the irregularities “in a fair and transparent manner”.