From: barnhart@netcom.com (Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS:NIGERIA: FRESH PRIMARIES, FRESH HOP
Date: 15 Aug 92 02:17:33 GMT
Reply-To: barnhart@netcom.com
Organization: Netcom


Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Title: NIGERIA: FRESH PRIMARIES, FRESH HOPES FOR DEMOCRACY


lagos, aug. 6 (ips/remi oyo) -- the late friday announcement of
fresh dates for presidential primaries has rekindled hopes for
democracy in a country that has witnessed 22 years of
military rule.

state governors will meet here this week to plan for fresh
polls after the debacle of the aug.1 first round of primaries in
five out of the 30 states, which were charecterised by blatent
rigging and vote-buying.

countless meetings with the government's national electoral
commission (nec) and the top hierachy of the two political
parties -- the social democtratic party (sdp) and the national
republican convention (nrc) -- has spoken volumes of the crisis
that president ibrahim babangida's transition to civilian rule
programme faces after the botched polls.

but humphrey nwosu, chair of nec, the official midwife of
the transition has not obliged week-long calls for the
government to run the primaries. instead, ''nec will mentain its
watchdog role'', he said.

he maintained that the primaries are the responsibility
of the two political parties sanctioned by the government.
''they have to organise it ... we have to let them grow''.

what nwosu did not acknowledge publicly is the fear in nec
and indeed government that it might be accused of bias were the
commission to conduct the primaries in the current highly
charged political atmosphere.

babangida has been at pains to prove his intention to
leave as pledged by january 1993 after seven-years in power and
that the government, as is frequently cynically alledged, is not
attempting to hand-pick his succesor or manipulate the
transition.

according to the nec's new timetable for the primaries, the
country has been divided into three instead of the previous six
state 'zones'. the first of the fresh primaries in 10-states
will begin sept. 5 running weekly until sept.19.

sdp senator-elect paul ukpo told ips monday: ''the
problems arising from the aug. 1  primaries in five states
are traceable to lack of time for proper preparations.

''there is now ample time between sept. 4 in nec's thinking
for parties to prepare and prevent a repeat of last saturday's
elections'', which one western diplomat called a circus.
(more/ips)


nigeria: fresh (2)

time to ''compile a new register of members that will
enjoy the confidence of the security agencies, the national
electoral commission and the presidential aspirants,'' says
nwosu.

but even as fresh election dates were announced, analysts
still see nigeria's political scene as cloudy.

''the politicians should not give any opportunity for the
military to refuse to hand over'', one southern african embassy
official told ips.

an east african diplomat was even more critical of the
politicians. ''(they) have not imbibed any lesson. the
impression should not be given that they need to be tutored on
elementary politics.''

the envoy, whose country is currently going through
its own political trials, argued that multi party democracy is
''a new experience for africa.''

the failure of the experiment in nigeria will have ''serious
implications for africa in view of its leadership role'',
he adds.

the serious implications are all too clear for this west
african country's 89 million people. comments through-out the
week by nigerians have spoken of despair and disappointment at
the conduct of politicians aspiring to lead.

''developments so far warn of potential danger engendered by
the lack of departure from the mistakes of the past'', says
frank okoro, a company executive, echoing the average view here
taken up by the nigeria labour congress, the umbrella body of 44
unions.

nigeria's previous two civilian administrations, drowning in
a swamp of corruption and misamanagement, were removed by
''corrective'' military coups.

such popular doubts over the calibre of the new crop of
politicians has not dampened the government's resolve to push
through with the transition.

''the transition programme is still on course,'' vice
president augustus aikhomu assured friday. (end/ips/ro/oa/92)


-- 
Aaron (Barnhart@netcom.com) -- posting from Evanston, Illinois
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african