TABJ – April 18 – Incumbent Goodluck Jonathan is set to take back Nigeria's presidency in a landslide, prompting riots in the northern cities of Kano and Kaduna, the BBC is reporting.
Jonathan raked in around 22 million votes, easily surpassing the 12 million garnered by former military leader Muhammadu Buhari, who draws the bulk of his support from Nigeria's north.
Jonathan was granted the presidency last year after the death of then-president Umaru Yar'Adua, under whom Jonathan served as vice-president. Jonathan is set to become Nigeria's first elected president from the oil-rich Niger Delta, the BBC said.
Jonathan has pledged fair elections, but frustration over what some feel is a rigged vote has been behind some of the violence in the north. In some of Nigeria's 36 states, Jonathan has drawn support as high as 95 per cent or even 99 per cent.
Support that high suggests “fabricated figures,” Jibrin Ibrahim, from the Centre for Democracy and Development, told AFP.
Nigeria is not only Africa's most populous nation with over 155 million citizens, but also the continent's energy powerhouse. Nigeria is the sixth-largest oil exporter in the world and the biggest in Africa, and has the world's eighth-largest proven natural gas reserves.
Those gas deposits may soon be unlocked. One of Jonathan's campaign platforms was an ambitious US$10-billion natural gas reform plan that could create as many as 500 000 jobs, some connected to Nigeria's agricultural sector.
Source: tabj.co.za
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