The United States and European Union have called on Nigeria to curb violence and take action to prevent vote-rigging in Saturday’s presidential election, while a Supreme Court ruling has added to turmoil surrounding the poll.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) calmed fears of civil unrest when it said Tuesday it would comply with the Supreme Court ruling on Monday that Vice-President Atiku Abubakar has the right to stand in the April 21 poll.
“The Commission assures Nigerians that the VP will be on the ballot,” INEC spokesperson Philip Umeadi told a press conference.
This weekend’s vote is expected to usher in Nigeria’s first civilian-to-civilian handover since the country gained independence from Britain in 1960.
Abubakar, the presidential candidate for the Action Congress (AC) party, is one of two opposition candidates expected to give the ruling party’s Umaru Yar’Adua a tough contest in the poll.
The other opposition heavyweight is former military ruler Muhamadu Buhari who is running under the banner of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.
Nigeria’s Supreme Court on Monday overruled a lower court of appeal decision on April 3 that the electoral commission could disqualify candidates.
After the Supreme Court ruling lawyers said that Abubakar should automatically be allowed to run, but there had been some doubts about whether INEC would have either the political will or the logistical capacity to insert the vice president’s name on the ballots at such short notice.
There was therefore some speculation that Saturday’s vote could be postponed.
Umeadi on Tuesday however insisted that the election would be held as planned.
The “presidential election will hold as scheduled on Saturday, there is no doubt about that”, he said in a live television interview.
The Supreme Court decision is a setback for outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo, who has been trying to ensure an easy ride for his ruling party’s candidate.
Meanwhile a curfew has been imposed in at least six states after the vote for governors and local assemblies last Saturday sparked violence that left at least 21 dead.
US and EU officials strongly criticised the handling of last weekend’s poll.
“In Nigeria, the United States takes seriously reports of voting irregularities and election-related violence during this past weekend’s state and local elections,” said US presidential spokesperson Dana Perino.
“We would urge that officials address any problems in order to ensure that Saturday’s presidential election, that those polls, are free and fair and conducted in an atmosphere free of violence,” she said.
EU observers who monitored the state governorship elections also expressed “serious concerns” about the vote.
The EU observer mission in a statement criticised the late opening of polling stations, under-age voting, failure to guarantee the secrecy of the ballot and a shortage of electoral officials.
There were “incidents of hijacking of ballot boxes by groups of thugs” as well as irregularities that led to significant discrepancies between results at polling stations and ballot collation at the local government level, they said.
The statement urged the electoral commission to ensure significant improvements before the presidential and legislative elections.
“Preparations should have been of a higher standard and must be substantially improved in the coming days to deliver a credible and secure process at the federal elections,” the EU statement said.
Obasanjo’s dispute with Abubakar, his deputy since 1999, escalated last August when he openly accused his deputy of corruption and had him investigated. A government-backed panel of inquiry indicted Abubakar for allegedly syphoning off money from a petroleum fund he managed.
The INEC then barred him from standing in the poll.
Since then Abubakar, 60, has been battling in courts to get that decision overturned.
He has won in most of the dozen or so court cases in which he has been a plaintiff or defendant.
Late last year, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) expelled him and he defected to Action Congress, one of the PDP’s two main challengers. – Sapa-AFP