Nigeria’s president, Olusegun Obasanjo, was fighting for his political life last night as the ruling party considered dumping him and selecting one of his rivals to lead it in elections in April.
His allies spent yesterday lobbying key delegates at the People’s Democratic party convention in the capital, Abuja, on the eve of a vote to choose a presidential candidate.
Obasanjo’s election to power in 1999 ended 15 years of military rule in Africa’s most populous country, but factions in the PDP are unhappy with the southern Christian. They were hoping to end his political career in a secret ballot scheduled for late last night.
There was heavy security in the capital as dancing troupes and brass bands backing different candidates paraded around the streets.
The president was behind closed doors for most of the weekend, horse-trading with the governors and party luminaries for the delegate votes to secure him a shot at a second term in office, which under the constitution would be his last.
Analysts predicted that these last-minute deals would stave off a challenge from Alex Ekwueme, who is considered the strongest of Obasanjo’s three rival candidates.
Ekwueme, a former vice-president, was said to be backed by the country’s army generals, a powerful political clique, as well as some governors from the Muslim north and the oil-producing south.
Whoever is selected will have a good chance of winning the April 19 poll, which some fear will trigger ethnic and religious riots between Nigeria’s 120-million people, who speak 250 different languages.
Violence has plagued the west African country’s elections since independence from Britain in 1960.
Late arrivals and delayed registration at the PDP’s convention caused chaotic scenes and there were allegations that the selection process had been rigged to favour the incumbent, though all four candidates promised to abide by the result.
Obasanjo, a former military ruler who voluntarily relinquished power in 1979 and returned two decades later as a democratically elected civilian, has lost support among the northerners who backed him in 1999.
Impatience with his failure to stamp out corruption and crime has been compounded by riots which have claimed more than 10 000 lives, including several hundred killed in November during Nigeria’s abortive effort to host the Miss World competition.
In a populist move to court Muslims, northern governors have introduced sharia law and resent Obasanjo’s cool response. Some also think it is time for the presidency to revert to a northerner.
Southern governors, meanwhile, are unhappy that the federal government siphons so much of the revenue from the oil drilled in their provinces. It was said to be this group that Obasanjo was trying hardest to win round by pledging concessions.
He was also fighting the perception that his dwindling popularity would damage the party’s chances in the general election, which will be held on the same day as the presidential poll.
His advisers denied a report that at least 13 out of 21 governors had turned against him and backed Ekwueme. – Guardian Unlimited Â