Nigeria president faces rowdy opposition at polls

AP

2 March 2011

Nigeria president faces rowdy opposition at polls

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has drawn massive crowds during his state-by-state election campaigning in his oil-rich nation, but he campaigned to a nearly empty parade ground Tuesday in the megacity of Lagos.

The empty concrete grandstands of Tafawa Balewa Square showed Jonathan holds a shaky grasp over some of the country's 36 states ahead of an April 9 presidential election. While many expect the machinery and muscle of the ruling People's Democratic Party to propel the marine biologist into office, opposition parties are claiming more of a share in the young democracy.

Lagos state, home to 14 million people, remains the power base of the Action Congress of Nigeria, the nation's strongest opposition party. It also holds 6.2 million registered voters. Jonathan's supporters are desperate to carry the state to counterbalance the country's Muslim north, which remains hesitant about the Christian president who came to power after the death of Nigeria's elected Muslim leader.