Obasanjo ahead as Nigeria votes for president

PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo surged ahead of his main challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday in partial returns from Nigeria’s presidential elections, which were marred

With more than 3.6 million votes counted from 11 states and the federal capital territory, official results showed Mr Obasanjo with 67.3%, or 2,451,782 votes, while Buhari had 29.5%, or 1,076,529 votes.

Mr Obasanjo, a former military ruler who transformed himself into a civilian statesman, has 19 challengers. Buhari is among three former army generals running. While Mr Obasanjo is a Christian with a strong support base in Nigeria's southwest, Buhari is a Muslim from the north.

Tensions ran high yesterday as officials tallied results from voting for president and governors. Saturday's election was tainted by a shooting in the swampy oil delta. Several of Mr Obasanjo's opponents, including Buhari, had warned of mass protests if the ruling party rigged the vote.

In the oil port of Warri, police and soldiers in armoured vehicles and pickup trucks fired automatic weapons in the air to disperse thousands of raucous youths who claimed their opposition candidate for Delta state governor, Great Ogburu, was ahead.

The balloting posed the stiffest test to Nigerian democracy since Mr Obasanjo's election in 1999 ended 15 years of brutal military rule. Nigeria has never had a successful transition from one civilian government to another.

Under Nigeria's constitution, candidates must win an outright majority 50% plus one vote as well as at least 25% of the votes in 24 of 36 states to ensure a broad national base. If no one fulfils this criteria, a runoff election will be held.

The incumbent was a military leader before he shed his uniform for traditional robes and was elected president four years ago.

His rule has brought some improvement in individual and press freedoms. But outbreaks of political, religious and ethnic violence have left more than 10,000 people dead since 1999, including hundreds of civilians massacred by government troops.

Buhari, who also had a long military career, launched a coup toppling civilian leader Shehu Shagari in 1983, following elections derided as flawed.

While voting was mostly calm, tensions flared in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Soldiers in the town of Okoroba shot at youths who refused to leave a polling station, said Derrick Marco, leader of election observers from the Institute of Democracy in South Africa. Six people were killed, and five injured, said Marco.