Oclabode George and his five co-convicts released

Former chairman of the board of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) deputy national chairman for the southwest, Oclabode George, and his five co-convicts were released on Saturday 26th February, from Lagos' KiriKiri maximum security prison where they were serving jail terms for fraud and abuse of office convictions.

George plus the former NPA managing director Aminu Dabo, plus Olusegun Abidoye; Abdullahi Tafida; Zanna Maidaribe and Sule Aliyu, have all reportedly served their two-year jail sentences and are consequently due for release.

In 2008, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned the six men on a whopping 163-count charge for offences related to the award of about N100 billion worth of contracts without adherence to the Public Procurement Act and due process; abuse of office and fraud. They were convicted of inflating contract prices in some instances and also splitting contract sums to evade the requirement for certification by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP). George and others were convicted and sentenced in 2009 by Justice Olubunmi Oyewole of the Lagos High Court.

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© 2011 Menas Associates

President Jonathan wins ruling party primary

Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan has won ruling party primaries, making him the number one favourite to win in the April elections. Jonathan managed to secure an overwhelming 77 per cent in the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primary, despite grumbles among some delegates about the need to choose a northerner.

Jonathan's main opponent, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, was backed by some of the key powerbrokers from the Muslim north. Jonathan, who is from the predominantly Christian Niger Delta, sparked controversy when he decided to run for re-election because of the power sharing agreement which stipulates power rotation between the north and the south every two terms.

Jonathan, who became leader after the death of President Umaru Yar'Adua in May 2010, won 2,736 votes to Abubakar's 805. The third candidate, Sarah Jibril, only managed to secure a single vote. Speaking about the outcome, Jonathan said that the PDP had “spoken with one strong voice."

An official for Abubakar's camp complained of irregularities in the vote, accusing Jonathan's allies of conspiring to "fish out" anyone who votes against him, however, after the results were announced Abubakar shook Jonathan's hand and congratulated him on his victory.

Sources: BBC News, CNN, Bloomberg

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.