New transparency has been introduced to the electoral process President ‘headed for Nigeria win’
New transparency has been introduced to the electoral process Nigeria is counting tens of millions of votes cast in the country’s presidential election, with early indications suggesting a close contest.
President Goodluck Jonathan is facing a challenge from Muhammadu Buhari, an ex-military leader popular in the north.
Early results showed Mr Jonathan with a lead, but saw Mr Buhari with a substantial lead in his heartland.
Mr Jonathan has staked his reputation on the the election, repeatedly promising it would be free and fair.
Counting began as soon as polls closed on Saturday, and the BBC’s Caroline Duffield, in the Nigerian capital Abuja, says most votes have now been counted. Official results are expected on Monday.
Reports of partial results showed that Mr Jonathan was leading the field in the south of Nigeria – he hails from the oil-rich Niger Delta region – but that Gen Buhari was mounting a strong challenge in the mainly Muslim north.
He is maintaining a wide lead amid a high turnout, our correspondent says.
To win at the first round a candidate needs at least 25% of the vote in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states.
Analysis
Already this vote is being hailed as a turning point in Nigeria’s history. The surprise and delight of people here is understandable set against the stolen votes and thuggery of the past.
In the capital Abuja there was a sense of thrill and excitement as people poured out to vote. Across the country, there were occasional disturbances.
But, overwhelmingly, signs of a calm and a peaceful election are encouraging election observers who say that this day could be a historic step forward for Nigeria’s democracy.
Voting was reported to have generally gone smoothly, despite some reports of fraud and incidents of violence.
Some violence was reported on polling day, with a woman said to have been killed in the central city of Jos and two bomb explosions in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.
Dozens of people were killed in the run-up to the vote.
Mr Jonathan cast his ballot in his home state of Bayelsa in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
After voting, he said the election was a “new dawn in Nigeria’s political evolution”.
“If the ballot paper means nothing then there is no democracy… Nigeria is now experiencing true democracy where we the politicians have to go to the people,” he said.
Election Season20 presidential candidates74 million registered votersParliament, president and local elections on three consecutive weekendsRuling PDP dominated every vote since end of military rule in 1999Previous elections plagued by corruption and violenceNew election commission head has promised clean voteIn pictures: Nigerians vote Viewpoint: Bloody politics Maiduguri: City of fear
He said he was confident of victory, and said he would leave office if he lost.
Other challengers for the presidency include former anti-corruption chief Nuhu Ribadu and Kano state governor Ibrahim Shekarau, though both are seen as rank outsiders.
In Daura, home to Gen Buhari, crowds waited for hours despite the intense heat to cast their votes. He insisted the election was not as clean as Mr Jonathan was suggesting.
“There’s a desperate attempt by the ruling party to rig this election in a more sophisticated way,” Gen Buhari told the BBC.
“This time around – the level of awareness and commitment by the masses is what has given me some relief.”
Gen Buhari added that he had more faith in the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) this time round, adding that “probably 60% of the election will be credible”.
Africa’s largest oil producer has long been plagued by corruption and has a history of vote fraud and violence.
Presidential CandidatesGoodluck Jonathan, president – PDPMuhammadu Buhari, former military ruler – CPCNuhu Ribadu, former anti-corruption fighter – ACNIbrahim Shekarau, Kano governor – ANPP16 others
Allegations of ballot-stuffing plagued the 2007 election, which brought Mr Jonathan to power as the vice-president.
He took over as president in 2010 when the incumbent died, becoming the first leader from the oil-producing Niger Delta region.
Mr Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party lost seats in a parliamentary election last week.
But he remains favourite in opinion polls, and his chances have been boosted after Mr Buhari and Mr Ribadu failed to agree a formal alliance to run against him.
The relatively successful conduct of the parliamentary election has increased confidence in the ability of the electoral commission, Inec, to ensure a fair presidential vote.
With 74 million registered voters, Nigeria has the biggest electorate on the continent.
Nigeria: A nation divided
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has won all elections since the end of military rule in 1999. It won two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states last time. But having a southerner – President Goodluck Jonathan – as its candidate in the presidential elections may lose it some votes in the north.
Nigeria’s 160 million people are divided between numerous ethno-linguistic groups and also along religious lines. Broadly, the Hausa-Fulani people based in the north are mostly Muslims. The Yorubas of the south-west are divided between Muslims and Christians, while the Igbos of the south-east and neghbouring groups are mostly Christian or animist. The Middle Belt is home to hundreds of groups with different beliefs, and around Jos there are frequent clashes between Hausa-speaking Muslims and Christian members of the Berom community.
Despite its vast resources, Nigeria ranks among the most unequal countries in the world, according to the UN. The poverty in the north is in stark contrast to the more developed southern states. While in the oil-rich south-east, the residents of Delta and Akwa Ibom complain that all the wealth they generate flows up the pipeline to Abuja and Lagos.
Southern residents tend to have better access to healthcare, as reflected by the greater uptake of vaccines for polio, tuberculosis, tetanus and diphtheria. Some northern groups have in the past boycotted immunisation programmes, saying they are a Western plot to make Muslim women infertile. This led to a recurrence of polio, but the vaccinations have now resumed.
Female literacy is seen as the key to raising living standards for the next generation. For example, a newborn child is far likelier to survive if its mother is well-educated. In Nigeria we see a stark contrast between the mainly Muslim north and the Christian and animist south. In some northern states less than 5% of women can read and write, whereas in some Igbo areas more than 90% are literate.
Nigeria is Africa’s biggest oil producer and among the biggest in the world but most of its people subsist on less than $2 a day. The oil is produced in the south-east and some militant groups there want to keep a greater share of the wealth which comes from under their feet. Attacks by militants on oil installations led to a sharp fall in Nigeria’s output during the last decade. But in 2010, a government amnesty led thousands of fighters to lay down their weapons.
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