Nigeria
Nigerian election campaign gets more intense

afrol News, 4 March - While President Olusegun Obasanjo has launched a "crusade" to secure his re-election, his strongest challenger Major General Muhammadu Buhari is busy building alliances to oust the incumbent. Other candidates focus on the many failures of Mr Obasanjo's four years in power.

President Obasanjo and his Vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, recently launched what they called the "Obasanjo/Atiku Alliance Crusade" in Abuja to secure their second term. Underlining the word "crusade", the Christian President was accompanied by Reverend Prince George Igwe of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). 

Revered Igwe likened the Obasanjo-Atiku administration to the mustard seed, which has geminated, stressing that they should be voted a second term to enable le then nurture the new found democracy. President Obasanjo himself stressed that he and his Muslim Vice-president had improved considerably the country's infrastructure which suffered long period of neglect under successive administration in Nigeria.

The team of Mr Obasanjo of mixed religions won a clear victory from voters all over the divided federation in 1999. His victory surprisingly had been largest in the Muslim north - despite the fact that he is a Christian and from the south-west. 

At the upcoming 19 April presidential poll, Mr Obasanjo will however need to count on support from the Christian south, as polarisation has only increased since 1999 and he has lost much of that northern support that originally brought him to power. A "crusade" will probably be more helpful to gather votes in the south than in the north. 

Most of the influential personalities and parties of Northern Nigeria have indeed stated their support for the Muslim ex-military ruler, Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Mr Buhari has been chosen to represent All Nigerian People Party (ANNP), which is also the main opposition party.

The general has turned out to be a clever coalition-builder. Several religious and traditional leaders of Northern Nigeria have already thrown their weight behind him. 

This weekend, Mr Buhari even met with the military dictator that ousted him from power in a 1985 coup and threw him to jail, General Ibrahim Babangida. Mr Babangida is still thought to be powerful and the reconciliation attempts between the two ex-military leaders may further increase Mr Buhari's chances.

While Mr Buhari has the backing of many northerners and seems successful in his attempt to build a large coalition backing him, President Obasanjo still is believed to have the upper hand, given his success in leading Nigeria back to democracy.

The election is however complicated by a large number of regional candidates who may cost Mr Obasanjo many of the southern votes. In the oil-rich Niger Delta, for example, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the former leader of the breakaway Republic of Biafra, is emerging a popular candidate. Mr Ojukwu is the official candidate of the opposition All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA). 

Another candidate from the Christian-dominated south-east of the country is James Nwobodo for the United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP). Senator Nwobodo this week made public his programmes and aspirations for his presidency, emphasising on good governance and condemning the economic programmes of the present administration.

The two favourite candidates however remain the incumbent President and the northern challenger, Muhammadu Buhari. If no candidate manages to secure more than 50 percent of the votes in the 19 February poll, a presidential run-off will be organised on 26 or 29 April - a likely outcome.

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