Nigeria's Obasanjo Wins Nomination of Ruling Party for Presidential Polls

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, January 07, 2003

Nigeria's Obasanjo Wins Nomination of Ruling Party for Presidential Polls

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Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo won the nomination of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) for the presidential polls in April as he got 77 percent of the votes in the primary election, PDP official said in Lagos Monday.

Obasanjo defeated three challengers and gained the majority of the votes cast by more than 3,000 PDP delegates from all over the country, PDP chief electoral officer Tom Ikimi at the convention.

Obasanjo received 2,642 votes, a clear majority over his nearest challenger, former vice president Alex Ekwueme, who won 611 votes.

"In accordance with the party's electoral guidelines, I confirmthat Chief Olusegun Obasanjo has scored more than 50 percent of the votes cast, and I hereby declare him the winner," Ikimi said.

The ruling PDP voted overnight to select its candidate from four aspirants for the presidential election in April. Two other candidates, former Kano State governor Mohammed Abubakar Rimi and former PDP chairman Barnabas Gemade, got 159 and 17 votes respectively.

Obasanjo, who announced his decision to seek another term on April 25 last year, currently faces fierce attacks at home, even from members of the PDP, over his government's inability to end prolonged economic stagnation and create jobs for the millions of unemployed.

Obasanjo came to power as the first civil president by winning the 1999 presidential election organized by the outgoing military rulers after 15 years of military regime.

Nigeria is due to hold local, state, legislative and presidential elections on April 19. When they are eventually held,they will be the first in Nigeria since the country returned to civilian rule in 1999.

As the nation approaches the year of the general elections 2003,hotly disputed constitutional issues and widespread fear of electoral violence in the run-up to the vote have been raised.

Civilians have not staged successful elections in the former British colony since independence in 1960, with attempts in the 1960s and in 1983 leading to military coups.

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