Dozens die in violence as Nigeria votes

More than two dozen people have been killed in violence surrounding elections in Nigeria that showed the ruling party make a solid showing, according to partial returns.

The vote is considered an important test of democracy in Africa’s most populous nation.

President’s Olusegun Obasanjo party won 69 seats in the House of Representatives in returns released early today. Two main opposition parties took 52. In the Senate, the ruling party took 22 seats compared to 10 for the opposition.

The legislative race is a key gauge of civil tensions a week ahead of presidential elections that will pit incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo – a former military ruler turned civilian leader – against 19 opposition candidates, including three former army generals.

Balloting was run by civilians. In the past, military coups have scuttled Nigeria’s previous attempts to hold democratic, civilian-run elections.

One election observer warned police and military to respect voters’ choices.

“We are concerned that parties may try to forcibly hold on to what they could lose by the will of the people,” said Festus Okoye, chairman of the Transitional Monitoring Group, which supplied 10,000 observers.

In many regions, Saturday’s voting was peaceful, despite ballot shortages and claims of intimidation.

But fighting between tribal and political rivals disrupted the vote in Nigeria’s oil-producing southern Niger Delta region for a second day yesterday.

At least two dozen people were killed in the voting and hundreds forced to flee their homes, witnesses and election monitors said.

The southern region has been the scene of numerous clashes in recent weeks between Ijaw militants and government troops over voting districts the Ijaws say favour their ethnic rivals, the Itsekiris. The Ijaws were determined to block polling.

More than 100 people have been killed in the violence, which has shut down 40% of the country’s oil production. Nigeria is a major oil producer.

More than 10,000 people in Nigeria have been killed in political, ethnic and religious violence since Obasanjo was first elected in 1999, ending 15 years of brutal military rule.