NIGERIA

Reports on Ethnic Relations  /  Rapports sur les relations éthniques

The following section is consisted of part, full or summaries of articles from diverses sources (newspapers, newsletters, etc...).
La section suivante est constituée d'exraits, de la totalité ou de résumés d'articles provenant d'origines diverses (journaux,bulletins, etc..).

04 / 25 / 2003 

THE VANGUARD (Nigeria)

The article: "Presidential candidate, Buhari, heads for court" (Rotimi Ajayi, Victor Ahiuma-Young & Charles Ozo)

The opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) has opted to go to court to annul the April 19 presidential elections in which its candidate, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari was defeated by PDP's President Olusegun Obasanjo. Both men - Buhari and Obasanjo - have continued to talk tough, although the influential Emir of Bauchi, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu, said yesterday that he was initiating a meeting of senior traditional rulers across the country to reconcile President Obasanjo and Gen. Buhari.

However, the re-elected Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Adamu Aliero has condemned the hard-line posture of Gen. Buhari on the election result, while the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) described the result of the presidential elections as credible and wanted it accepted in spite of some cases of electoral malpractices.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, National Chairman of the ANPP, Chief Don Etiebet said his party was seeking the annulment of the election because its conduct violated the provisions of the Electoral Act, nationwide.

But Obasanjo, appeared yesterday unmoved by their attacks. "Any observer, who tells you he has seen anyone stuffing ballots must be telling a fable," he said in an interview with BBC Radio. Obasanjo was equally dismissive of his defeated opponent in Saturday's presidential contest, Muhammadu Buhari, who has described the election as a "rape of democracy" and demanded a re-match.

"You must know that Nigerians are bad losers," Obasanjo said. Several international monitoring teams have criticised the conduct of the election, Nigeria's first civilian-run presidential poll in 20 years and a key test of the country's four-year-old experiment with democracy. The European Union monitors said in an interim report on the vote that it was "marred by serious irregularities throughout the country and fraud in at least 11 (of Nigeria's 36) states."

The EU team said that a quarter of its observers had personally seen cheating, including "stuffing of ballot boxes, forgery of results ... ballot box snatching and a variety of other means of rigging."

Speaking in a BBC interview, Gen. Buhari claimed that his party had incontrovertible evidence of the rigging of the election by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) especially in the Eastern and Western parts of the country, adding that "there is no cause to speak to him (President Obasanjo) over the matter. Excepts:

"I don't think anybody campaigned as much as I did. Nobody. I was absolutely confident before the results were declared because I was winning. As I said, we are going to make this presentation which cannot be faulted."

What about the people who say that you lost because people were afraid you were going to come in with strict Islamic code?

That is not correct. I dealt with those issues when I was on my campaign.

How many people in the South would have voted for you if they understood what you are all about?

Most of them ... did vote for me. Two of the zones were virtually disenfranchised and a number again in the North were disenfranchised where there were no elections. There was no election in Adamawa, no election in Nasarawa, no election in Benue. The result in others like Plateau State were doubtful.

So people who criticises you and say that your campaign was divisive, that you brought division between the North and South are not right?

Well I don't know how many of those people you are referring to. We talked of security of the country, we talked of the economy, we talked of stability of the polity itself ...

As far as you are concerned the religious issues have nothing to do with the outcome of this election?

Absolutely none.

Have you been able to speak with President Obasanjo since the result came out?

No. There is no cause to speak to him. All I can say is that I have not spoken to him.

Meanwhile, Kebbi State Governor, Alhaji Adamu Aliero has condemned statements credited to Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on the outcome of the just-concluded presidential/governorship elections.

Answering questions from State House correspondents at the State House Abuja, Gov. Aliero, who belongs to the ANPP said that the call for civil revolt over the election results was not in line with democratic norms and admonished that the party should seek redress in the election tribunals.

"The normal procedure for those who are aggrieved or are disputing the results of the elections is to take their protests to the election tribunal and if they are not satisfied with the outcome, they can go to the Court of Appeal. But I think it is bad for anyone to call for mass action. These are the procedure for seeking redress."

Presenting the report of the Labour Electoral Monitoring Team (LEMT), President of NLC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole argued that if 50 per cent of votes in those states with glaring cases of rigging were voided in the presidential election, the declared winner would still have won.

His words: "There were cases of electoral malpractices across the country. The elections in some parts of the states cannot pass a basic test of fairness. The INEC ought to have used its discretion to cancel results in polling stations and areas where there were glaring cases of electoral malpractices.

"Having noted these electoral malpractices and after making reasonable allowances for lapses, the results of the presidential election appeared to be the electorate's will and are therefore adjudged to be credible enough and acceptable. This is because even as much as 50 per cent of the votes in those states where glaring cases of rigging are voided, the declared winner would still have won.

"The solution is for the aggrieved persons to resort to the Electoral Tribunal and the judiciary. The country now looks up to the judiciary, particularly the Electoral Tribunal to make the difference by being forthright, firm and decisive in their handling of the electoral appeals. The Labour observers will be willing to give evidence in places where they observe these electoral malpractices if called upon to do so.

"In the national interest, we strongly appeal to all concern not to make inflammatory statements or do anything that might imply an invitation for anti-democratic forces to truncate the democratic process. Those who have won the elections should bend over backward to accommodate those who lost."

04 / 24 / 2003 

THE GUARDIAN (Nigeria)

The article: "Presidential candidate, Buhari, wants fresh polls in disputed states" (Oghogho Obayuwana)

Presidential candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday called for fresh elections in states reported to have witnessed widespread irregularities in last weekend's elections.

Gen. Buhari, who was officially declared as runner up in the presidential election, at a press conference in Abuja, restated his rejection of the results but asked his supporters to participate in the coming state assembly polls.

He, however, urged the international community not to recognise any government based on the election result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) was declared winner of the election.

"There will be no government in Nigeria by May 30 if the affected elections are not repeated..." Buhari said.

His threat came on the heels of another by the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), whose new leader Rev. Olapade Agoro of the Nigerian Action Congress (NAC), gave President Obasanjo May 29 to leave office for an Interim National Government (ING).

The CNPP, made up of all the chairmen of 29 registered political parties except the PDP, at a press briefing also in Abuja, called for the boycott of the State Assembly and local government elections.

However, Buhari urged his supporters to massively participate in the elections, saying that an outright boycott would only become necessary if INEC failed to take any steps to correct the lapses alluded to by the aggrieved parties.

Election observers of the European Union (EU) and the Commonwealth had on Tuesday alleged malpractices in 12 states, namely Rivers, Enugu, Anambra, Benue, Edo, Delta and Cross River. The others are Katsina, Kogi, Nasarawa, Imo and Kaduna.

Almost re-echoing Agoro, who envisaged "massive revolt" as consequence of the alleged rigging of the elections, Buhari said: "This election is the most fraudulent Nigeria has ever had since independence... And such shortcut to achieving power has never lasted in Nigeria."

Maintaining that "there was nothing to congratulate anyone for", the ANPP flag bearer said: "The election conducted is a clear case of rape and so the government emanating from it lacks legitimacy and credibility."

He also ruled out seeking legal redress because, according to him, INEC is pushing its responsibility to the elections petitions tribunal.

"And so because these elections lack credibility and legitimacy, I am pleading with the International Community not to recognise the government emanating from it," he urged.

Buhari, who fielded only two questions from reporters, said: "I have not come here because I have not won the election. I understood and still understand that when you join a race you either lose or win but there are rules of every game which all stakeholders must adhere to."

He added; "In our case, those who lost elections were declared winners and those who won were declared losers."

Buhari continued: "Since fraud is the most appropriate word to described what took place on April 19, we cannot accept it... I am a sportsman. Sports and politics have rules that must be kept. We cannot afford to break the rules shamelessly in Nigeria".

Agoro, whose briefing preceded that of Buhari told the audience: "We are giving President Obasanjo up to May 29 to leave office. This is the decision of the Nigerian masses... If he fails to heed the advice, the consequences may be massive revolt and whatever becomes of this nation should be blamed on him and his people who want to retain power by all means".

He said that the ANPP's stand is promised on the fact that "there was no election in Nigeria April 12 and 19 but selection by the PDP-led government."

With Buhari and Agoro yesterday were the ANPP chairman, Chief Don Etiebet and his United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP) counterpart Alhaji Saleh Jambo. Also present were UNPP's presidential candidate, Chief Jim Nwobodo; Mrs. Ireti Kingibe and Chief George Moghalu.

04 / 23 / 2003 

INTER PRESS SERVICE

The article: "President Obasanjo wins second term" (Toye Olori)

Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo the winner of Saturday's presidential poll.

''Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP (People's Democratic Party) having met the requirement of the law, having scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and he is returned as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,'' INEC chairperson Abel Guobadia, declared Tuesday night.

In his acceptance speech, President Obasanjo gave ”gratitude to God for his inestimable love to our nation for successful election in the last two weeks”.

''By all account last Saturday saw the people of Nigeria go out in record number to freely, transparently and fairly make their choice. I am humbled that I am the people's choice for the next four years,'' Obasanjo said.

''I am happy by the magnitude of the mandate in which the voting pattern have cut across ethnic, regional and religious lines, by defying known elements of deceitfulness in our society. Electorates have demonstrably endorsed my hope and aspiration for a united, peaceful, strong and prosperous Nigeria,'' he added.

''(Electorates) have voted for continuity, stability and progress and I humbly accept the challenge to consolidate the gains of the last four years, while charting the course to a greater destiny for our nation. The people of Nigeria have spoken loud and clear with their votes, they have voted for one united, harmonious Nigeria and no leader shall deny them their hearts' desire,'' Obasanjo said.

Obasanjo scored 24,456,146 votes in Nigeria's 36 states, as well as in the federal capital, Abuja.

His closest rival, Muhammdau Buhari of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) got 12,710,029 votes.

Odumegwu Ojukwu of the All Progressive Grant Alliance (APGA) got 1,297,445 votes, taking the third place. The only two female presidential aspirants, Mojisola Obasanjo and Sarah Jubril scored 3,070 and 137,560 votes respectively, while human rights activist, Gani Fawehinmi, got 151,333.

Guobadia said INEC believes the results of the presidential poll reflect the true will of the electorates. ''Politicians who are aggrieved are free to challenge the results in election tribunals. I urge politicians to demonstrate the highest level of statesmanship,'' he said.

While journalists were waiting at the media centre in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, for Guobadia's press conference, a group of politicians who failed in their bid to clinch the presidential seat, hijacked the venue to announce their rejection of the presidential poll.

Don Etiebet, ANPP chairperson and spokesperson for the group, told the journalists that ''the results reeled out by INEC were obviously very frivolous. They did not reflect the wishes of the people''.

He cited the South East zone, where he claimed three million votes were returned for PDP, while less than 200,000 were returned for all the other parties.

''What happened there was characterised by hijacking of election materials and diversion of such materials to people's houses (and) to government houses where they sat down and filled forms and returned them to INEC to announce. And INEC, working in unity with them, announced the results,'' he alleged.

Nigeria's Minister of Information and National Orientation, Jerry Gana, called on the aggrieved contestants to seek legal advice. ''They should not discredit a credible, free and fair election. We encourage them to exhaust all channels allowed by law instead of rejecting a credible election''.

''Of course, elections are not perfect even in the United States, that is why there are provisions for people to appeal through tribunals so that matters can be resolved legally, effectively, justly and fairly. That is the right way to go. And, that is the democratic way to go,'' Gana said.

Some Nigerians are worried about the effects of the legal challenges being mounted by the aggrieved contestants.

''I am a bit worried about how this reaction will play out in foreign media because this is what most of them came to Nigeria for -- not expecting a smooth transfer of one democratic rule to another. (Nigerian) politicians should have handled it better,'' said Ben Murray-Bruce, Director General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

Segun Aribike, a senior journalist in Lagos, said the aggrieved politicians ''reacted even before the official results were announced by INEC. They should have waited for INEC to announce the results before reacting.”

”I am not a lawyer, but I think those politicians should be arrested and prosecuted for violating Nigeria's electoral act,'' he said.

Bola Oladele, a youth leader in Lagos, told IPS on Wednesday: ''These politicians should know that Nigerians are no longer interested in political violence. They should not use sentiments. They cannot attract anti-democracy elements to rise up against a democratically elected government. We are tired of chaos in this country''.

Analysts believe most of the 30 political parties, which contested Saturday's poll, did not perform well because they were registered at the last moment, following a court order.

''Everyone rushed to register a party because of the appellation,'' said Henry Nzekwu, a former presidential candidate. ”But with some parties scoring less than 3,000 votes nation-wide, such parties will fizzle out eventually.''

''At the end of the day, Nigeria may have just four or five parties,'' he said.

04 / 22 / 2003 

DAILY TRUST (Nigeria)

The article: "Observers fault results" (A. I. Shekarau, H. Omunu & H. I. Pindiga)

Three of the over 200 international and domestic observer groups accredited to monitor the conduct of the general elections in the country, have faulted the results of last Saturday's presidential and governorship elections in some states.

The three groups which made public their preliminary reports on the just concluded presidential and governorship elections are Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI).

Making public his group's report at a World Press Conference in Abuja yesterday, TMG Chairman, Mr. Festus Okoye said their delegations to various parts of the country observed widespread electoral fraud and irregularities in the conduct of the elections.

"There were scores of alleged fraud in many states across the country, often with collusion of election officials and security personnel."

"For instance, in Enugu State, TMG observers noted that polling officials in many centres stamped and gave bundles of ballot papers to agents of a political party which they then proceeded to thumb print in the full view of security personnel before stuffing them into the ballot boxes. This was the case in Niger Close Primary School, Bigard Seminary and Achara Layout primary School," TMG emphasised.

Similarly, the NDI observed that its delegation "witnessed widely varying electoral practices on April 19."

Team leader of the NDI, Honourable Joseph Warioba, stated that the delegation observed, among others, that there are places "where blatant malpractices clearly distorted the poll results in the areas where they occurred."

Ambassador Robert C. Perry of IRI also listed, in his group's preliminary report, areas where there were massive rigging and manipulation of election results.

Ambassador Perry explained that his group witnessed very serious flaws in the conduct of last Saturday's elections in three states. These were Cross River, Imo and Rivers States.

"Most disturbing to IRI delegates were incidents of outright or attempted fraud in these three states. These instances impugned the integrity of both the April 12 and April 19 electoral processes. Ballot tabulation and collation processes were highly irregular and created the opportunity for abuse," the group pointed out.

It also noted that: "The April 19 presidential and gubernatorial election suffered in some parts of Nigeria as a result of numerous uncorrected administrative and procedural errors combined with many observed instances of obvious premeditated electoral manipulation."

TMG, which is a coalition of 170 human rights and civil society organisations, deployed over 10,000 trained observers throughout Nigeria, the highest number any monitoring group has.

Giving further details on some of the massive fraud observed by some members of its delegation, TMG Chairman, Mr. Okoye pointed to several parts of the Niger-Delta region where there were no elections at all.

"Elections did not take place in Ughelli-North, Ughelli-South, Okpe, Patai, some parts of Bomadi and Burutu local government areas of Delta State.

In Bayelsa State, there were also no elections in many centres in Ogbia local government area, Sagbama local government area, Nembe local government area, Kolakuma/Opokuma local government area, Southern Ijaw local government area, Yenagoa local government area, Ekeremor local government area, and brass local government area," TMG added.

The group also noted that it appeared INEC did not make adequate arrangements for the transportation of election materials in some places in Kogi and Kaduna states, where it said voting did not start in time, and thus, collation of results lasted till 10 p.m. with election officials using candles in most cases.

In Taraba and Nasarawa States, TMG observed various incidences of intimidation of election officials. For instance, it said, in Ahmadu Mekoto Primary School polling unit, under Yara Ward in Keffi local government area, Nasarawa State, "party agents interfered in the voting process by openly telling voters which party to vote for."

"Both INEC officials and security agents at the unit were helpless and unable to either control the situation or restore law and order."

Also, the group noted that: "In polling centres in Ogbete, Enugu, TMG observers reported that INEC officials gave ballot papers to party agents and allowed them to thumb-print same in the clear view of security agents after which they were pushed into the ballot boxes."

Furthermore, TMG said: "In many centres in Taraba State, thugs armed with knives, daggers, guns, and cutlasses attacked polling centres and snatched ballot boxes."

The group also reported cases of multiple voting, with some people voting up to five times in some places in Kano.

In the final analysis, therefore, Okoye stated that: "The TMG observes that the results declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission from some states, such as Rivers, Bayelsa, and Enugu, are far from being credible."

He noted, for instance, that there was no way a candidate of one of the parties could score almost 96 per cent of the total number of registered voters in Rivers State, even when a low turn out of voters was recorded in several parts of the state, including cases of zero turn out in some centres where he said TMG observers visited.

He expressed readiness of his group, which he said has sufficient evidence, to defend its position when invited by either an election tribunal or any authorities, regarding these elections.

04 / 21 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "Obasanjo takes commanding lead in presidential ballot"

With results of Saturday's presidential elections released in more than half of Nigeria's 36 states, incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo has established a commanding lead over his closest rival, Muhammadu Buhari.

Results on Monday from 21 states showed Obasanjo with 13.64 million votes - about 66 percent - compared to 5.62 million - some 27 percent - for Buhari. The remaining votes, seven percent, were shared by 18 other opposition candidates.

Saturday's polls also included elections for the post of state governor. Most of the state governorships declared so far have been won by the ruling party, which has made inroads into former opposition strongholds, particularly in the southwest.

However, most opposition parties have protested against the results, alleging massive rigging by the ruling party through the use of government machinery.

"What we have seen is no election," Uche Ezechukwu, spokesman for the main opposition All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) told IRIN. "We have a situation where people express their will one way and it is rewritten another way by the government and electoral officials."

Saturday's election was generally peaceful in most parts of the West African country of 120 million people, including some 61 million registered voters. However, isolated incidents were reported in different parts of the country, including the snatching of ballot boxes and voting materials by political thugs. In Bayelsa State in the southern Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta, six youths were reportedly shot dead by policemen after they resisted orders to leave a polling station.

"As far as we are concerned there has been no rigging," Abel Guobadia, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), told reporters in the capital, Abuja, on Sunday. He said votes would be voided in areas where it was confirmed that ballot boxes had been snatched and election materials tampered with. However, election observers have expressed concern about statistics released by INEC last week for legislative elections on 12 April which showed huge turnouts in some places where the poll was boycotted.

The electoral commission reported a 98-percent turnout in parts of the Niger Delta, where militants from the Ijaw ethnic group had boycotted the polls. In Saturday's governorship vote in another southern area, Rivers State, won by the ruling People's Democratic Party candidate, the commission reported a 96-percent turnout despite a boycott by the main opposition party.

Monitors of the Catholic Justice, Peace and Development Commission, which has the largest number of election observers in the country - 30,000 - have accused INEC of not reflecting voting trends observed at polling centres in the final results it announced. Observers of the International Republican Institute of the United States have also queried "discrepancies" in INEC's figures.

Police and troops have been deployed across major cities in Nigeria to prevent anticipated violence after the ANPP last week urged "mass action" by its supporters if they thought the vote had been rigged.

04 / 18 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "Obasanjo warns rival; observers fault poll figures"

Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday warned his main rival in Saturday's presidential elections against inciting supporters and the security agencies to violence. The warning came as two election observer groups faulted figures released by the electoral commission on the 12 April parliamentary polls.

In a letter addressed to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) and made available to journalists, Obasanjo took exception to allegations of massive rigging and threats of "mass action" against the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) made by the main opposition candidate.

Buhari, who appears to be the strongest of 19 candidates challenging Obasanjo in the presidential elections, had accused the PDP of perpetrating large-scale fraud in the legislative polls. He urged his supporters to defend their votes during the presidential ballot.

"Let me emphatically urge you not to incite the society and law enforcement agencies," Obasanjo told Buhari in the letter. "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." Latest results released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) show the ruling party with a commanding majority in both chambers of the legislature, winning more seats than the 29 other parties combined. Most of the parties have rejected the results, alleging widespread malpractices, including illegal stuffing of ballot boxes and tampering with voting figures.

INEC Chairman Abel Guobadia on Thursday dismissed the allegations as "loose statements ... without proof" and urged the aggrieved parties to take their cases to the law courts, which have the power to void results and order fresh elections. He said INEC was taking additional measures to improve security and ensure the integrity of the votes cast in the presidential and governorship elections on Saturday.

However, election monitors from two different organisations have cast doubts on the accuracy of both voting figures and results released by INEC. "What our observers have seen are not tallying with what INEC is reporting," Ifeanyi Enwerem of the Justice, Development and Peace Commission told IRIN. With 30,000 monitors, the commission, which is linked to the Catholic Church, has more people monitoring the elections than any other organisation.

Enwerem said INEC had announced results in many places where there was no voting at all, such as parts of the oil-rich Niger Delta and southeastern Anambra State. In other places where very few people voted, the electoral body has published results showing turnouts as high as 98 percent. "The election was generally peaceful, but it does not necessarily mean it was fair," he said.

The Washington-based International Republican Institute (IRI) said in a statement on Thursday that it was worried about problems in the administration of the electoral process and official figures contradicted by observers.

"IRI is also increasingly concerned about apparent discrepancies between the voter turnout observed by election monitors and the voting statistics later reported by elections officials," said the statement signed by spokesman Thayer Scott.

The elections are a crucial test of democracy in Nigeria since Obasanjo's election in 1999 ended more than 15 years of military rule. No elected government in Nigeria's 42-year history has successfully run elections. On two previous occasions, civilian-organised polls characterised by widespread rigging and violence precipitated military takeovers.

04 / 16 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "Opposition parties reject results"

Nigerian opposition parties rejected the results of the 12 April parliamentary elections in statements issued on Tuesday as the ruling party appeared headed for a comfortable victory.

By the end of Tuesday, President Olusegun Obasanjo's People's Democratic Party had won 170 of 360 seats in the House of Representatives, with a number of seats still undeclared. Its closest rival was the All Nigeria People's Party with 81 seats and the Alliance of Democracy with 30 seats. Other parties had won six seats.

In the senatorial race, the PDP was also leading, winning 52 of the 109 seats to the ANPP's 25 and five for AD.

ANPP Chairman Don Etiebet, speaking on behalf of 28 opposition parties, rejected the results as flawed. He accused the ruling party of manipulating election officials, outright rigging and tampering with results. "The results are spurious and the whole elections flawed," Etiebet told reporters. The parties want the elections cancelled and a rerun conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission. However, he said the parties' objections would not affect their participation in Saturday's presidential elections and subsequent polls.

Most observers said they noticed significant flaws in the conduct of the elections but did not think they substantially affected the outcome. In a national broadcast on Monday night Obasanjo expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the vote, despite delays in parts of the country and disruptive violence in others.

There were a number of isolated incidents, and over 20 deaths due to violence. Thugs were reported to have snatched ballot boxes in the southeastern states of Anambra and Rivers; clashes in the southeastern state of Enugu claimed four lives; in parts of the Niger Delta, voting was disrupted by ethnic Ijaw militants, who said their demands that government redraw what they perceived as unfair constituency boundaries were not met.

Militants of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities on Tuesday restated their resolve to stop the presidential elections in their areas. "We are not going to vote for people who are not alive to our plight," Dan Ekpebide, a leader of the group, told IRIN.

04 / 15 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "Ruling party takes lead in legislative polls"

Nigeria's ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) took an early lead on Monday in legislative elections marred in some parts of the country by delayed voting and in others by violence.

With results from Saturday's vote still trickling in, President Olusegun Obasanjo's PDP had won 69 of 124 seats in the House of Representatives and 23 of 35 Senate seats so far declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The main opposition All Nigeria People's Party won 34 seats in the lower chamber of the legislature and five in the upper chamber, followed by the Alliance for Democracy, with 18 representatives and five senators.

Apart from the All Progressive Grand Alliance which has won one senate seat, the rest of the 30 political parties competing in the elections were yet to win parliamentary seats.

There are 369 seats in the house representatives and 109 in the senate.

Voting on Saturday was marked by a large and enthusiastic turnout across the country of 120 million inhabitants. But in some areas voting was delayed by the late arrival of electoral materials. In parts of the Niger Delta oil region, voting was disrupted by ethnic Ijaw militants who said their demands that government review what they perceived as a "lopsided" distribution of electoral wards had not been met.

Armed Ijaw militants who attempted to disrupt voting on Sunday near the southern oil town of Warri clashed with troops, resulting in the death of at least 10 people, witnesses said. In southeastern Enugu State, four people, including two policemen, died when supporters of the ruling PDP clashed with opposition ANPP rivals.

In other isolated incidents, thugs were reported to have snatched ballot boxes in the southeastern states of Anambra and River. INEC chairman Abel Guobadia said the elections would be cancelled in places where ballot boxes and other election materials were tampered with by unauthorised persons.

INEC has rescheduled the vote to Wednesday in parts of Anambra State, where elections were not held because electoral officials did not turn up on Saturday.

The 12 April vote was the first in a series of polls that includes presidential and governorship elections on 19 April. The polls are the first general elections in Nigeria since the end of more than 15 years of military rule in 1999.

04 / 14 / 2003 

INTER PRESS SERVICE

The article: "Smooth and peaceful elections" (Toye Olori)

A sea of different shades of colours of umbrellas formed queues at polling centres here this weekend as Nigerians turned out in large numbers defying the rains to elect their representatives for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The rains which started early on Saturday morning, and went on for most of the day, delayed officials with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for a couple of hours in getting started.

''The rains this morning delayed the take off of the exercise for about two hours in Ilorin, but in spite of that, it has been very peaceful,'' one resident of Ilorin, capital of the violence prone central state of Kwara told IPS.

In this commercial capital, INEC officials turned specious verandas of some houses as well as churches and mosques into polling booths to prevent voting materials from being soaked by the rain.

At Iwaya, a suburb of here, IPS noticed a lot of orderliness at polling centres where a lot of voters who were yet to exchange their registration slips for the computerised voters cards, created a second queue to collect their cards before being allowed to vote. However, some eligible voters who could not wait in the queue left in frustration.

''I cannot waste my time waiting in the queue in the rain to collect cards and then queue again to cast my vote. I do not really care about this level of elections because I don't know any of the contestants for the Senate of House of Representatives. I will exchange the slip before the governors and presidents' election next Saturday,'' Tony Oigboshe told IPS.

But others stayed on. ''I have to vote and I am not leaving until I vote. I did not have time to collect the card during the two days INEC asked us to exchange our slips for the cards because of work. This is the time to say yes to real democracy and we cannot do that when we refuse to vote,'' Caroline Aina, a civil servant said.

Elderly people who were not familiar with the emblems of the various parties on the long ballot papers and were finding it difficult to thumb-print were helped by INEC officials. ''What party do you want to vote for mam?'' one official asked a seventy-year-old woman. The official then guided her ink-marked thumb to the emblem of the party she mentioned.

Nigeria has 30 political parties as against the highest ever of six in previous elections. With all the parties' names and emblems on the ballot paper, it became difficult for the elderly and illiterates to recognise in spite of the enlightenment campaigns which went along with political campaigns of the parties.

Major streets of here have been turned into football pitches and bicycle race tracks by youths playing football or riding their bicycles in the rains. Vehicles are totally off the roads, except for vehicles on essential services, the police, journalists and monitors, as there is a stay at home order.

President Olusegun Obasanjo who voted in Abeokuta, capital of the Western State of Ogun on Saturday, said: ''I feel proud as a Nigerian. I feel satisfied''.

He told journalists after casting his vote, that reports reaching him from all over the country showed that people were trooping out to vote peacefully and patiently, and expressed the hope that the exercise would be concluded peacefully.

Commenting on the large turn-out of voters, Lai Osho, a lecturer, attributed it to mobilisation and the fact that Nigerians want to prove sceptics wrong this time. ''I think mobilisation by parties, the INEC and stakeholders, have been quite high and the eagerness to vote and have a peaceful transition this time around, has helped the turn-out. The merging of two elections, that of the Senate and House of Representatives, could also be responsible because even if you do not want to vote for the Senate, you may want to vote for the House of Representatives,'' Osho said.

According to him: ''Nigerians this time want to prove the sceptics wrong about failure in the previous transition from civilian to civilian polls. The ordinary man and woman on the street want it right because if we can get it right this time, Nigeria will become great. Everybody believes we must get it right this time.''

Much as citizens turned out in large numbers to cast their votes, there were reports of some pockets of problems, not violence though, in some areas of this former capital and some parts of the country. According to Police reports two people were arrested in Lagos Island for attempting to carry away a ballot box from one of the polling centres. They alleged that they were sent by a politician.

A report from Akwa, capital of highly volatile Anambra State in Eastern Nigeria, said materials were late in getting to the polling centres due to heavy rains Friday night. The materials did not get to most centres in the capital until 11.30 in the morning on Saturday. There are 4,000 polling centres in the state. The report stated that due to the large security presence throughout the state the elections were reported to have been very peaceful.

Reports from another troubled spot, Jos, capital of the Middle-belt State of Plateau, said voting started early with women trooping to their various polling units ahead of men. In areas that have large concentration of Muslims, women were in separate queues next to their male counterparts. According to the report, the election was generally peaceful.

Abuja, the federal capital, where Salim Salim, head of the Commonwealth Monitoring Group, monitored the elections, was also reported to have been peaceful. Streets were deserted partially because of the elections and the fact that many residents, majority of who are civil servants, had travelled out to their villages where they were registered.

Saturday's National Assembly election is the seventh in this politically fragile country. The first was in 1959 when the country was preparing for Independence in 1960 while another parliamentary election was held in 1964 which brought about political problems that led to the collapse of the First Republic on January 15, 1966.

Another election was held in 1979 when President Obasanjo, then as military head of state, handed over to President Shehu Shagari of the Second Republic. The democratic dispensation was however truncated by the military on December 31, 1983 when another attempt at elections failed leading to more than a decade of military rule.

However, in 1993 another set of elections was held under the dictatorship of military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida. The election perceived as the freest and fairest was later annulled by the military, with the winner of the presidential election, Moshood Abiola, jailed by late General Sani Abacha who took over as head of state from an interim government in November that year.

In 1999, another set of elections, supervised by the regime of General Abdulsalami Abubakar, was held which brought about the present dispensation in Nigeria.

VANGUARD (Nigeria)

The article: "Prominent politicians lose seats in national assembly"

Several prominent Nigerians, some of them serving members of the National Assembly, have lost in their bid for the legislature, according to results released yesterday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The losers include Nigeria's Ambassador to the United States, Prof. Jubril Aminu (PDP Adamawa Central); Senator Jonathan Zwingina (PDP Adamawa South); Dr. D. S. Tafida (PDP Kaduna North) and Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye (AD, Ogun East).

Also on the list of the losers are: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Na'Abba (PDP, Kano); Senator Wahab Dosunmu (PDP, Lagos Central); Senator Adeseye Ogunlewe (PDP, Lagos East); Comrade Pascal Bayau (AD, Adamawa South)

An ANPP big name that lost is: AVM Canice Umenwaliri

Other prominent public figures who lost the election are: Ms Julie Coker (UNPP) Delta South; Col. Yohanna Dickson (UNPP) Kaduna South; Chief Dapo Sarumi (PAC) Lagos West;Chief Oladipo Olaitan (PAC) Lagos East; Senator Joseph Kennedy Waku (UNPP) Benue North-West.
On the winners list are former Information Secretary, Comrade Uche Chukwumerije (PDP Abia North); Speaker Lagos State Assembly, Dr. Olorounimbe Mamora (AD Lagos East); wife of Defence Minister, Mrs. Daisy Danjuma (PDP, Edo South) and Chief Ben Obi (PDP, Anambra Central).

THIS DAY (Nigeria)

The article: "Observers say election free and fair" (Paul Ibe)

A team of 20 foreign observers sponsored by the International Republican Institute (IRI) to monitor the general elections in the country yesterday x-rayed weekend's parliamentary elections and commended Nigerians for the "serious and generally peaceful conduct of the National Assembly elections."

The Institute, however, said in its preliminary statement made available to THISDAY that the "logistics and administration of voting procedures must improve before next week's presidential elections" in order to improve the quality and efficiency of the April 19 polls.

The observers who monitored elections in Cross River, Gombe, Imo, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory said they did not find "evidence of widespread or systematic misconduct intended to favor particular parties or candidates," adding, however, that they did "witness serious lapses at critical levels of the election administration structure."
The observers noted that by the peaceful conduct of the polls, the
worst fears of the Nigerian public and the international community did not occur.

The group said that while "an unacceptable level of violence occurred in the period before April 12, Election Day related violence appeared relatively minor."

The observers identified hiccups in the National Assembly elections to include late opening of polling stations, shortages of ballots and voter cards, insufficient voter education and badly over-subscribed and poorly arranged voting stations.

Also, the group said it observed procedural irregularities at almost all stages of the voting and vote tabulation process in the six states covered.

The observers pointed out that a consistent, well articulated and properly implemented procedures are essential to the credibility of any election.

They, however, said that although none of the administrative and procedural problems identified by its observers would by themselves call the integrity of the April 12 election process or the credibility of the result into question, their overall impact on the perceived quality and transparency of the election was substantial.

The observers warned that the quality and efficiency of the April 19 polls may be damaged if the weaknesses observed during weekend's election are not corrected.

Specifically the IRI observers recommend that:
While providing appropriate security, INEC change its material distribution schedule to ensure that all voting stations are prepared to open on time;
Every voting station be provided with at least as many ballots for each election as there are names on the station's registration list;
INEC ensure that all voting stations and collation centers are staffed with enough officials to reduce the long time taken to vote and to tabulate votes on April 12;
Adequate transportation be provided for the transfer of election results from polling stations to collation centers;
Oversubscribed voting stations be subdivided in order to avoid delays in the processing of voters;
Polling places provide voters with greater privacy when marking their ballots.
Adequate lighting be provided for after dark;
Unused ballots be properly accounted for and secured;
INEC clarify the "tendered ballot" process;
Polling stations and collation centers receive calculators.
Meanwhile, the ANPP has contested the results of the Senatorial election in the Bwari Area council of Abuja. The party has asked for a recount of the votes and as at the time of filing this report, the recounting was still in progress.

04 / 11 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "A rendez-vous with history"

Only two general elections in Nigeria have been organised by civilian governments since independence from Britain in 1960. In each case, the elections were marred by irregularities and violence. In each case, they were followed by military overthrows. The presidential, legislative and state polls from 12 April to 3 May represent the third attempt by a civilian government to organise successful elections in Nigeria. Whatever the outcome of the the polls, Africa's most populous nation will still have to grapple with key issues that affect the well-being of its 120 million people. Communal and religious conflicts, and violence sparked by competition for resources figure high among these issues. This web special looks at the elections, the main players, the issue of conflict in general and in particular the Niger Delta question, one of the thorniest issues Nigeria's authorities and people are likely to face in the next four years.

04 / 10 / 2003 

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

The article: "Spiraling Violence Threatens Elections"

An upsurge of politically motivated violence is threatening the legitimacy of impending elections in Nigeria, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.

The 39-page report, “Testing Democracy: Political Violence in Nigeria,” documents numerous cases of political violence across Nigeria and discusses the weak response by government and police to date. Starting with local government primaries for the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2002, Nigeria has seen an increase in violent clashes between political factions led by politicians and their supporters at all levels of government.

“The success of Nigeria’s new democracy depends on stemming this kind of violence,” said Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the Africa Division at Human Rights Watch. “President Obasanjo has said a lot recently about the need to act, but he hasn’t brought most of the perpetrators to justice.”

The Human Rights Watch report is based on research in Nigeria during December 2002 and February 2003, and includes several case studies that illustrate patterns of violence across different states, highlighting the theme of impunity. Although police carried out arrests in some of the more high profile cases, very few have led to successful prosecutions. The cases include:

* In Delta State: Disputes over the distribution of electoral wards among ethnic groups in and around Warri caused large-scale outbreaks of violence in February and March 2003. Dozens of people were killed and several villages were destroyed in fighting, first between the Urhobos and Itsekiris, then between the Ijaws and Itsekiris. A large military contingent was deployed to the area in March amid reports of indiscriminate attacks by the security forces on Ijaw communities, whom they held responsible for the killing of four soldiers.

* In Bayelsa State: In July 2002, dozens of people were killed when two youth groups in Ogbolomabiri clashed during the PDP local government primaries. One of the groups was supported by then-Commissioner for the Environment in the Bayelsa State government, the other by a manager of President Obasanjo’s 1999 election campaign in Bayelsa. Neither leader has been prosecuted.

* In Rivers State: Fighting between the PDP and the opposition All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) in August 2002, in the lead-up to the voter registration exercise in Ogu/Bolo local government, resulted in the displacement of hundreds of non-PDP supporters. Several people active in local politics have disappeared or been killed since then. A politically motivated attack resulting in serious injury to a young man in the Ogoni area, and the armed invasion of the home of an Ogoni activist in the state capital Port Harcourt, are also documented.

* In Kwara State: A conflict between Governor Mohammed Lawal and his former political mentor, Olusola Saraki, has led to numerous violent incidents. In August 2002, as Saraki and his supporters shifted from the ANPP (the governor’s party) to the PDP, the state PDP chairman, Ahmed Pategi, was killed. Armed supporters of the governor killed two people at a wedding ceremony in September 2002. In November 2002, a bomb exploded in the office of a newspaper owned by Olusola Saraki’s son, Bukola Saraki, injuring five people. Lawal and Bukola Saraki will face each other as candidates for governor on April 19.

* In Enugu State: A split in the State House of Assembly between supporters and opponents of Governor Chimaroke Nnamani has led to a political crisis and outbreaks of violence including the beating of legislators and the presence of armed thugs on the house of assembly grounds.

* In Plateau State: Plateau has experienced recurring violence between ethnic groups considering themselves natives or “indigenes” of the state and those they view as “settlers.” This division has manifested itself in political violence. Scores of people were killed in May 2002 in a fight that erupted at a venue of PDP local government primaries and spread to surrounding neighborhoods in Jos, the state capital of Plateau.

The report documents several high-profile assassinations, including the killing on March 5 of Marshall Harry, vice chairman for the south-south zone of the opposition ANPP, who was an outspoken critic of the Rivers State governor.

While the report assigns primary responsibility for preventing and punishing cases of political violence to the Nigerian government and police, political parties were also urged to strengthen the disciplinary processes within their parties, and to adopt and publicize a pro-human rights and anti-violence stance.

The report discusses the role of foreign governments and intergovernmental organizations in supporting peaceful elections. International delegations from the European Union, the Commonwealth, and the United States will observe certain stages of the Nigerian elections. Human Rights Watch urged these groups to make plans to also monitor local government elections, where the risk of violence could be even higher. Foreign governments are urged to put pressure publicly on the Nigerian government to prevent and prosecute specific cases of political violence.

>>>> The Report

04 / 09 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "Act on Delta violence, HRW tells government, oil companies"

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Wednesday called on the Nigerian government and multinational oil companies to take immediate measures to prevent further violence and abuses around the southern town of Warri, located in the Niger Delta.

"The Nigerian government is responsible for public order in the Delta, but the oil companies have a role to play here, too," Peter Takirambudde, executive director of the African division of HRW, said in letters to President Olusegun Obasanjo and the managing directors of three transnationals.

Since 13 March, clashes between members of the Ijaw and Itsekiri ethnic groups in the Niger Delta have claimed scores of lives. Most of the victims of the communal clashes were reported to be Itsekiris, HRW said, while Ijaws were the main victims of a combined Nigerian army, navy and police operation mounted against their villages after armed Ijaw youths allegedly killed four soldiers. HRW said it had received reports of government security forces firing indiscriminately on Ijaw villages, killing dozens of people.

Similar military operations had led to hundreds of extrajudicial killings in the past, for example in the southern town of Odi (Bayelsa State) in 1999 and in the central state of Benue in 2001, HRW noted. No one had been tried for these killings, it said.

Other people affected by the violence around Warri included staff of oil companies, according to HRW, which also reported that some companies had helped evacuate community members from the area.

The rights watchdog appealed to the main companies operating in the area, ChevronTexaco, Royal Dutch/Shell and TotalFinalElf, to publicly urge the government to restore security in a manner that respects due process and fundamental human rights and is not disproportionate.

>>>>> The letter to President Obasanjo
>>>>> The letter to the CHEVRON oil company
>>>>> The letter to the SHELL oil company

04 / 01 / 2003 

IRIN

The article: "Amnesty International and LEPAD concerned about rights violations"

Amnesty International and the Nigerian Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEPAD) on Monday expressed deep concern about human rights violations and an increase in political violence in the run-up to Nigeria's federal and state elections, scheduled for April and May 2003.

In a joint statement, the organisations said that reports of political violence, including the assassination of political leaders, clashes between supporters of different political persuasions - both within political parties and between rival parties - and the intimidation and harassment of candidates and sympathisers had risen considerably in recent months.

"Amnesty International and LEPAD are concerned that rising political violence results in violations of the fundamental rights to life and physical integrity and inhibits genuine participation and freedom of expression," the statement read. All candidates in the elections, it added, should do their utmost to prevent political violence and refrain from inciting ethnic or religious tensions or violence.

The statement urged all political parties to express publicly their commitment to curb political violence among their supporters and - independently of the action of law enforcement officials and the judiciary - to carry out exhaustive internal investigations on allegations of politically motivated acts of violence sponsored by their members.

The two organisations called on the government to protect politicians and other individuals particularly at risk during the electoral period. They urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to liaise with the police for effective coordination of the deployment of security personnel and equipment before, during and after elections, to ensure that there were no abuses against those exercising their right to vote in the elections.

The statement called on the international community to express publicly its concern about mounting political violence during the elections and urged governments to prioritize the assessment made by national and international observers of the human rights situation in Nigeria during the elections in their contacts with the Nigerian government.

>>>>> The Full Report