Sporadic political violence erupted Saturday in Nigeria, with seven people killed as voters went to the polls to elect governors and other state representatives.
Voters were electing 36 state governors, with 29 of the races contested. Turnout appeared to be weaker than in the national presidential election two weeks ago, when Muhammadu Buhari ousted incumbent Goodluck Jonathan.
Election monitors said the seven deaths occurred in Rivers state. An office of the Independent National Electoral Commission in Buguma was dynamited, and other violence was reported in Lagos, Delta, Ebonyi and Akwa states.
“These killings form part of a wider pattern of politically motivated violence, arson and hijacking of electoral materials that our observers have noted,” the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said in a statement. It added that electoral regulations at many polling stations were “flagrantly flouted.”
Saturday’s violence contrasted with the relatively peaceful ballot that Buhari won outright last month, without any need for a runoff. Modern Nigeria’s political history has been marred by coups, and Jonathan became the first head of state voted out of office in a peaceful change of power.
Nigeria’s 36 state governors are among the most powerful political figures in the nation that is Africa’s biggest oil producer and top economy. Analysts say the influence wielded by governors has often prompted previous candidates to try dirty electoral tactics, such as snatching ballot boxes, manipulating voter turnout, and engaging in thuggery and intimidation.
Voters in Lagos state were choosing between two main candidates: Jimi Agbaje of Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party and Akinwunmi Ambode of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress, or APC.
Across Lagos, many voters said they expected whoever won to deliver jobs, reliable electricity and prosperity.
Source-VOA
