‘Business as usual’ in Nigeria

LAGOS – Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, convinced he can get away with anything as president of the world’s sixth oil producer, handpicked the man chosen to succeed him in elections even he admitted were flawed by violence and fraud.

Last year, he persuaded ruling party heavyweights to step aside one by one to clear the way for Umaru Yar’Adua, the obscure governor of a northern state, to be chosen as the ruling party’s consensus candidate. Obasanjo then did his best to weaken the opposition to help his protégé – a total 50 parties signed up for Nigeria’s violence-marred presidential, parliamentary and state polls April 14 and 21.”After all, in another four years, there will be an opportunity for a fresh contest which I hope will take care of ballot paper and ballot box malpractices,” said Obasanjo, calling an end to the show in inflappable style, even as criticism of the flawed poll rained in from across the world.A results sheet handed AFP by the electoral commission showed a breakdown of results per candidate, but the column of totals for the country’s 36 states was blank.But a Western diplomat said the scandal at home and abroad over vote-rigging would die with a whimper.”People will forget, and it’ll soon be business as usual,” he said.In office since 1999, Obasanjo tried in 2006 to have the constitution revised to enable him to stay on for a third four-year term.Parliament quashed the move.With that option ruled out, Obasanjo moved to maintain the hold of his ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) across Africa’s most populous nation by backing his protégé, Yar’Adua, for the post of president and working to keep its parliamentary majority as well as winning a maximum number of governorships in the federation’s 36 states.Analysts as well as opponents also say Obasanjo used both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the electoral commission INEC to prevent his adversaries from running in the polls.Sebastian Spio-Garbrah of New York-based Eurasia group told AFP that the EFCC had pursued Obasanjo’s enemies with more zeal than his cronies.EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu has repeatedly dismissed the claim.But both the EFCC and INEC were instrumental in almost preventing the president’s onetime ally-turned-rival, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, from running for head of state on corruption allegations of.Nampa-AFPObasanjo then did his best to weaken the opposition to help his protégé – a total 50 parties signed up for Nigeria’s violence-marred presidential, parliamentary and state polls April 14 and 21.”After all, in another four years, there will be an opportunity for a fresh contest which I hope will take care of ballot paper and ballot box malpractices,” said Obasanjo, calling an end to the show in inflappable style, even as criticism of the flawed poll rained in from across the world.A results sheet handed AFP by the electoral commission showed a breakdown of results per candidate, but the column of totals for the country’s 36 states was blank. But a Western diplomat said the scandal at home and abroad over vote-rigging would die with a whimper.”People will forget, and it’ll soon be business as usual,” he said.In office since 1999, Obasanjo tried in 2006 to have the constitution revised to enable him to stay on for a third four-year term.Parliament quashed the move.With that option ruled out, Obasanjo moved to maintain the hold of his ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) across Africa’s most populous nation by backing his protégé, Yar’Adua, for the post of president and working to keep its parliamentary majority as well as winning a maximum number of governorships in the federation’s 36 states.Analysts as well as opponents also say Obasanjo used both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the electoral commission INEC to prevent his adversaries from running in the polls.Sebastian Spio-Garbrah of New York-based Eurasia group told AFP that the EFCC had pursued Obasanjo’s enemies with more zeal than his cronies.EFCC boss Nuhu Ribadu has repeatedly dismissed the claim.But both the EFCC and INEC were instrumental in almost preventing the president’s onetime ally-turned-rival, Vice President Atiku Abubakar, from running for head of state on corruption allegations of.Nampa-AFP