POLITICS-NIGERIA: Voters Turn Out in Large Numbers to Elect a New President

By Toye Olori Reprint | | Print |

Toye Olori

LAGOS, Apr 19 2003 (IPS) - Nigerian voters turned out in large numbers on Saturday to elect a new president and 36 state governors for the next four years.

There was so much excitement that some voters, who had moved out of their original states, returned home Friday evening to cast their votes.

”This is a very important election that will affect our lives so I came back to Lagos where I registered to vote,” said Ronke Omonike, who returned from neighbouring Ogun state to cast her vote.

Polling opened at 7.30 a.m. This is in contrast to last weekend’s parliamentary polls when officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) arrived late at most polling stations.

In Lagos, an early morning drizzle provided cool weather as thousands of voters queued, peacefully, to cast their votes.

Calm also reigned in most parts of the country. But, in the eastern state of Enugu, where the Apr 12 parliamentary polls were marred by violence, security was tight.

Incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), who is widely expected to be re-elected on Saturday, was being challenged by 39 candidates.

His nearest rivals were General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) and Odumegwu Ojukwu, who led the unsuccessful bid by Igbos of Eastern Nigeria to secede in 1966. Two women, Mojisola Obasanjo and Sarah Jubril were also contesting.

In addition, some 229 candidates were also vying for state governorships.

Allegations of vote rigging, however, remain a major problem in Africa’s most populous country.

Buhari, a former military ruler, accused the ruling party of rigging the parliamentary polls. But Obasanjo warned his main rival against inciting supporters and the security agencies to violence.

In a letter addressed to Buhari and made available to journalists this week, Obasanjo warned: "Let me emphatically urge you not to incite the society and law enforcement agencies".

"I as the elected president have the responsibility for maintaining peace, law and order at any time and in any part of this country, and this transcends party politics. It is a constitutional responsibility I owe to this nation and I intend to use all constitutional means and authority to discharge this responsibility to the full, election time or not," he added.

Both international and local observers have described Nigeria’s parliamentary polls as "free and fair".

The observers said only minor lapses such as late commencement of polls, as well as missing election materials and poor organisation were experienced during Saturday’s poll.

They urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to "correct those lapses" before the Apr 19 presidential poll. ”There were logistic problems in many states but generally the elections were free and fair. Voting materials were missing and the opening of thousands of polling stations in some states was delayed. As a result, collation process suffered from poor organisation, inadequate accommodation and ineffective lighting,” said Salim Ahmed Salim, former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) who is leading the Commonwealth observer team to Nigeria.

The Commonwealth is an organisation of about 50 independent states which were formerly parts of the British Empire, established to encourage trade and friendly relations among its members. ”(INEC should) consider how the shortcomings of the National Assembly elections can be overcome. This includes tightening up its planning so that all stations receive their essential materials in good time and open promptly,” Salim said.

INEC did just that, on Saturday.

Although the presidential poll is unpredictable, analysts believe Obasanjo and his ruling party would carry the day.