Court strikes out case against Obasanjo

A court in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Monday struck out a suit challenging President Olusegun Obasanjo’s nomination as the candidate of the ruling party. Alex Ekwueme, a former civilian vice president, had claimed that Obasanjo’s election at the 5 January People’s Democratic Party (PDP) primaries violated party regulations. He also alleged that ballot papers were numbered by party officials who intimidated delegates by saying that those who voted against Obasanjo would be detected. Justice Ishak Bello, while observing that there were good grounds for the suit, agreed with the president's counsel that it was marred by procedural errors. "I therefore agree that the case cannot be heard and strike it out," Bello declared. Ekwueme's lawyer, Amobi Nzelu described the verdict as "a bad ruling" and said he would file an appeal. "In one breath he was saying we had grounds to challenge the nomination and then he turned around to say the suit cannot be entertained," he said. Obasanjo had obtained more than 75 percent of the votes cast by more than 3,000 delegates against Ekwueme's 17 percent. Two other contestants scored less than two percent each. General elections scheduled to be held between April and May will be the first since the 1999 vote that brought Obasanjo to office and ended more than 15 years of military rule. A total of 30 political parties have been registered for the polls. The elections are considered a crucial test for Nigeria’s democracy, coming after a period in which the country has been wracked by ethnic and religious violence that has claimed thousands of lives.