Nigeria: Jonathan's win marred by deadly riots

Rioting in northern Nigeria has prompted thousands of people to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere. In the town of Kano, Christian youths burned a mosque, after deadly riots that followed the election of incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan . The Muslims retaliated by destroying local shops and causing havoc on the streets.

The riots broke out across 14 northern cities, leaving hundreds of people injured. The number of dead has not yet been disclosed. An estimated 15,000 people have been displaced by the riots that began over the weekend with people claiming rigging in the presidential elections.

Nigeria Red Cross disaster management co-ordinator Umar Abdul Mairiga said: "Things are relatively calm right now, but violent protests went on last night, especially in Kaduna, Katsina and Zamfara (states)…Our volunteers are out there and we expect details in the coming hour or so. What may come out of there is not very palatable because many people were killed, especially in southern Kaduna…The displaced people are getting hostile because nothing is coming up in terms of relief."

For his part, Jonathan has called for calm in the country. In a televised address to the nation, he urged all Nigerians to, "quickly move away from partisan battlegrounds and find a national common ground", adding: "Nobody's political ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian."

Religious tensions in Nigeria have been a source of strife for a number of years, however, in this instance the conflict came to the fore over election results showing Jonathan's overwhelming lead by more than 10 million votes over Muslim candidate Muhammadu Buhari.

Election chairman Attahiru Jega announced the result on Monday 18th April, revealing that Jonathan had won 22.4 million votes, compared to the 12.2 million of his main opponent, former military ruler Buhari.

Sources: BBC, AFP, AP, Bloomberg

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

Clashes between police and opposition protesters in Lafia

There have been severe clashes between the police and opposition protesters in Nigeria's north central state of Nasarawa. Police fired tear gas and open gunshots to disperse the crowds causing chaos, and burning tires in the streets. The outbreak of violence follows the stoning of President Goodluck Jonathan's convoy in Lafia earlier this week while he was campaigning for April's election.

A police official in Abuja said that the gubernatorial candidate, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, of the Congress for Progressive Change party, who was allegedly involved in the stoning incident, remains in custody awaiting decision about whether or not he will be charged. According to police reports, Al-Makura was embroiled in the jeers and pelting that marred the flag off of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) presidential election campaign.

Jonathan, the presidential candidate for the ruling PDP in April's elections, is on a campaign tour of several northern states. The PDP has a tradition of alternating presidential power between the north and the south every two terms, thus Jonathan's candidacy is controversial in the north as he is a southerner.

Sources: BBC News, AllAfrica, NEXT

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

Goodluck Jonathan not ready to declare candidacy

Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan has said that it is too early to announce his decision about whether or not he will run in next year’s presidential elections, due to fears that it might cause unrest in the government.

“Well that is one thing that appears to be dominating political discussions in the country, which has already been captioned in one newspaper, Jonathan run, don't run. It has been a topical issue. I’m not in a position to tell Nigerians whether I will contest now or not because we have a political environment that gets too heated up when people are preparing for elections. So we feel that the best thing to do is to keep our mouths sealed until the appropriate time,” Jonathan told Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

President Jonathan said he would announce his decision before the primaries of his party, after the electoral reforms are completed. His bid to run in the election would contravene the People's Democratic Party's (PDP) unwritten policy to alternate the presidency for two-four year office terms between the mainly Muslim north and the predominantly Christian south. Jonathan, a Christian from the south, succeeded former president Umaru Yar’Adua, a northern Muslim who died three years into his first four-year term.

According to official sources many northern political leaders have urged Jonathan to uphold PDP policy suggesting that sectarian tensions, with clashes between Muslims and Christians which have already claimed hundreds of lives since January, might worsen. But Jonathan told NTA that his decision will not be influenced by either external or internal pressures and that it will be up to Nigerians to decide their political affiliation and their next President.

Sources: Bloomberg Business Week, All Africa

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