UPDATE 2-Nigeria's ruling party loses some states after polls

Reuters

27 April 2011

UPDATE 2-Nigeria's ruling party loses some states after polls

* Ruling party retains many governorships

* Opposition gains ground in southwest

* Hundreds killed in election violence last week

(Updates throughout with more results)

By James Jukwey

ABUJA, April 27 (Reuters) - Nigeria's ruling party has lost control of at least two states in governorship elections, according to results emerging on Wednesday, although it performed strongly in some parts of the mostly-Muslim north.

The state governorship races, which began on Tuesday, are the final stage in elections which have seen some of the worst political violence in years in Africa's most populous nation.

Rioting left hundreds dead in the mostly Muslim north last week after President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, beat northern rival Muhammadu Buhari in the presidential vote.

The state governors are among the most powerful politicians in Nigeria, wielding influence over national policy and in some cases controlling budgets larger than small African nations, and the ruling party is keen to maintain its strong regional grip.

With results in from half of the 24 states in which governorship elections were held, the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) held on to seven but lost two -- Ogun in the southwest and Nasarawa in the centre.

But it won Kano, the most populous state in the north, from the opposition and swept all assembly seats in the northern state of Sokoto.