News
Nigeria: Anambra state to elect governor – polls a litmus test for 2015 Presidential Election
The tiny state of Anambra in southern Nigeria goes to the polls this weekend to elect a new governor in a vote seen as a key test of President Goodluck Jonathan’s popularity before his expected campaign for re-election.
Jonathan, a southern Christian, is tipped to run again for the presidency in 2015, despite dissent within his ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from some who believe he should step down in favor of a northern Muslim candidate.
The main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) is seeking to unseat him and win its first presidency since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.
Political analysts have described the Anambra gubernatorial election as crucial to the smooth running of the presidential vote in Africa’s most populous country and second largest economy.
“The Anambra election is a dress rehearsal for the 2015 presidential election,” said Laja Odukoya, a political science lecturer at the University of Lagos.
“If we don’t get it right now, we may never get it right in 2015. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has to prove that they are equal to the task,” he said.
A total of 23 candidates are jostling to win the governorship, which becomes vacant in March when incumbent Peter Obi steps down after serving the maximum of two four-year terms.
Obi’s All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is hoping to keep control of the mineral-rich southeastern state.
The party was founded by Emeka Ojukwu, the man who announced the secession of southeastern Nigeria as Biafra in 1967, leading to the Nigerian civil war, which ended in 1970.
The APGA party is up against the APC, whose candidate is a former state governor, and a challenge from the PDP.
The elections watchdog said nearly 1.8 million voters have been registered for Saturday’s vote, the results of which are expected from the following day.
“We have adequately mobilized men, materials, other logistics for this crucial poll,” INEC spokesman Kayode Idowu said. “We are also working local and state police to ensure that we have a hitch-free exercise.”
Nigeria has a history of electoral irregularities. Election monitors at the last elections in Anambra in 2010 said the vote was “credible” but bemoaned poor organization at some polling stations.
Measures designed to eradicate vote-rigging will be in place this time round, said Idowu. More than 12,600 election officials will be deployed to oversee the election, as well as dozens of supervisors.
Nigeria’s 2011 presidential election, won by Jonathan, was seen as a major improvement over previous polls marred by rigging.
More than 4,000 polling stations and counting centers will be protected and adequate security for ballot papers and staff will be provided.
According to credible sources, all 23 candidates have been provided with equal funding and access to media and materials – in order to level the playing field, and by extension a credible election.
Source: AFP