Nigerians Go to Polls Amid Fresh Claims of Fraud

Millions of Nigerians vote today in a presidential election that has already been severely compromised by accusations of vote rigging, the detention of opposition activists and violence.

Opposition parties yesterday added to the waning confidence of voters by alleging that troops had seized a lorry load of ballot papers completed in favour of the ruling party. The electoral commission denied the accusation.

The outgoing president, Olusegun Obasanjo, in a nationwide address, conceded there were flaws in the campaign and the conduct of the election for state governors and legislatures a week ago. There was blatant ballot rigging, and about 50 people were killed in violence. The ballots in two states had to be annulled.

International observers, including those from the EU, have said that today's vote looks as if it might be similarly flawed and will therefore lack credibility.

Mr Obasanjo described the concerns as "exaggerated". "There have been allegations of malpractices, of multiple voting, ballot-box snatching, coalition manipulation, intimidation, threats and use of violence. All these must be roundly condemned, no matter who engaged in them," he said.

"I appeal to our local and international observers to understand some of our limitations as a complex developing nation and not to exaggerate the negative and thereby throw out the baby with the bath water."

The two main opposition candidates, the former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari and the vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, have called last week's election the worst in Nigeria's history and "worse than a robbery". They called for today's election to be postponed but decided against a boycott.

The ruling People's Democratic party candidate, Umaru Yar'Adua, is the favourite to win. The opposition says that is because the party has mobilised the police, the state-run media and other public resources for its campaign and to rig the vote.