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by Phil HAZLEWOOD
The Nigerian president and the ruling party were accused Saturday of uttering schemes to stifle opposition support a week before elections in the most populous nation in Africa.
Vote: INEC must prioritize older and pregnant women and developing countries
The People's Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party, was scheduled to hold a "mega-rally" in Abuja, but said it was closed, despite payments and getting it. Official approval.
He accused President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressive Congress (APC) of qualifying the move as "provocative" and a sign of "desperation".
Lanre Isa-Onilu, spokesperson for the APC, told AFP that the party did not own the venue of the demonstration.
The line of access came as Buhari and APC prepared to address tens of thousands of supporters in the Lagos Mall at one of the last rallies. the campaign before the vote, which will begin next Saturday.
Buhari, 76, wants a second four-year term, while Atiku Abubakar, 72, is finally hoping to get the presidency after four previous attempts.
A record of just over 84 million voters is registered this year, up 18% from 2015, when Buhari became the first opposition candidate in Nigeria to overturn a President in office.
Buhari earned just under 54% of the vote, beating 2.6 million votes against Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP.
Elections are the sixth to be held since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999 after decades of military rule.
No details were given about when the official results will be announced, but in 2015, the figures were published 48 hours after polls closed.
– Close race –
The APC is optimistic about Buhari's chances of re-election.
But many predict a tighter race due to dissatisfaction with insecurity, claims of a unilateral fight against corruption and the recessionary exit from the oil-dependent economy.
"People are tired after four years at Buhari, and even though he is elected, the election results are very uncertain," said badyst Cheta Nwanze of SBM Intelligence.
Two essential factors of political allegiance – ethnicity and religion – have been removed, with both Buhari and Abubakar Hausa-speaking Muslims belonging to the Fulani ethnic group.
"Buhari is positioning itself as a statist, a pro-big government, where the government should have the essential, while Abubakar is positioning itself as a pro-business and pro-private enterprise," said Nwanze.
"It's unique in our history. We have never had this before. "
Tanko Yakasai, a seasoned politician, said the focus on policies and programs could be a "good start for Nigerian politics", as younger, more ideological politicians emerge.
– Headache logistic –
A total of 73 candidates run for president, including seven women.
The legislative elections will be held simultaneously, with 6,483 candidates for 109 seats in the Senate and 360 in the House of Representatives.
A second round of voting takes place on March 2 to elect new governors in 29 states and new members of state bademblies.
In 2015, the vote was delayed six weeks due to military action against the jihadist group Boko Haram and the government again warned of possible attempts to disrupt the poll.
But the chairman of the National Independent Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, said that he saw "no reason" to differ.
"We are ready to go," he told Channel TV on February 6.
Nevertheless, electoral logistics can prove to be a headache.
Some 1.8 million people in three states in the north-east of the country are still homeless due to violence in Boko Haram, which has killed more than 27,000 people since 2009.
In Borno, the most affected state, the INEC has set up 10 special voting centers allowing more than 400,000 displaced people to vote.
Similar problems are likely to occur in some central states where violence has resumed in a long-standing battle for resources between nomadic pastoralists and farmers.
An increase in kidnappings for ransom and cattle rustling in some parts of the north may also complicate the vote.
– Fear of fraud –
Previous Nigerian elections have been tainted by fraud and the two main parties have been accused of attempting to rig the results by buying the biometric identity cards necessary for voting.
Buhari has also been the subject of allegations of executive power interference in the judicial system after the suspension of Nigeria's first judge, accused of breaking the rules of wealth declaration.
The Chief Justice is the President of the Supreme Court who would hear any legal challenge to the result. Former military leader Buhari disputed the results in 2007 and 2011 – and lost.
In 2015, international interest in Nigeria's elections was high given the threat of Boko Haram and her abduction of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok town in Borno.
It is also worth noting Jonathan's willingness to accept defeat and a peaceful transition, which has raised hopes of setting a precedent in Africa.
But broad public interest has been comparatively moderate this year, not least because of a more country-centric US administration and Britain's impending exit from the European Union.
Neither Buhari nor Abubakar gave categorical badurance that they would concede defeat in the same way that Jonathan did in 2015.
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