Nigerians reject PDP in former stronghold

FT

28 April 2011

Nigerians reject PDP in former stronghold

By Parselelo Kantai in Lagos

Nigeria’s ruling People’s Democratic party was dealt a blow on Thursday as the results of gubernatorial and state assembly elections showed opposition parties had swept its former strongholds in the south-west.

As the Independent National Electoral Commission began to release results from across the country, the ruling party had retained a healthy share of governorship seats, winning in eight of the 15 states so far announced including those in the south-east, south and much of the north. However, the opposition Action Congress party won all three gubernatorial seats on offer in the south-west and swept up virtually all the seats in state assembly elections.

The results from the south-west, controlled by the PDP for the past eight years, are a further indication of the ruling party’s weakening grip on Nigerian politics following national assembly elections earlier in the month in which the party came close to losing its majority.