PDP chooses Obasanjo as presidential candidate

Former military ruler General Olusegun Obasanjo has won the presidential nomination of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), and is favourite to win the poll, news organisations reported today (Monday). He achieved a “crushing victory”, according to the BBC, winning over 60 percent of the vote at this weekend’s PDP convention in the central town of Jos. His nearest rival, the former civilian vice-president, Alex Ekwueme, won only 20 percent of the vote and described the poll as “fair”. Speaking after his nomination, Obasanjo said the “polarisation of society between soldiers and civilians” had come to an end, the BBC reported. The PDP swept recent local and state elections making it the largest party in Nigeria and this puts Obasanjo in a strong position to win the presidential elections on 27 February, agencies noted. Obasanjo, who held power between 1976 and 1979, stands out as Nigeria’s only military ruler voluntarily to hand over power to elected civilians. The current military leader, General Abdulsalami Abubukar, has said that he will step down on 29 May after handing over power to the first civilian president in 15 years.