Nigerian Ruling Party Wins Presidency

A guard walks past ballot boxes at an Election Commission storage facility in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Sunday, April 22, 2007. Top opposition candidate Vice President Atiku Abubakar called for the annulment of Nigeria's presidential vote Sunday, branding the previous day's election as the worst ever conducted in Africa's most populous nation. (AP Photo/Schalk van Zuydam) (Schalk Van Zuydam - AP)

In a nationwide address ahead of Monday's announcement of the election results, Obasanjo accused the political opposition of "fanning the embers of hate" and engaging in "outright subversive activities."

Obasanjo, barred from running by term limits, acknowledged that the vote was imperfect, but said Nigerians were nonetheless devoted to democracy. He said losers should redress grievances through the courts.

That was exactly the plan, said representatives of Vice President Atiku Abubakar, a one-time Obasanjo ally who fell out with his boss before moving to an opposition party. He placed a distant third, according to the official results.

Obasanjo, a former military ruler, won a 1999 election that ended 15 years of near-constant military rule. His 2003 re-election was marked by allegations of vote rigging.

Dozens of Nigerians have died in civil strife related to these elections, and the outcome seemed unlikely to quell further bloodshed, like a low-intensity armed struggle in the country's oil-producing region.

Gunmen battled security forces Monday in the south, leaving at least seven people dead in the area's main city, Port Harcourt, police said. The region sees frequent strife, as militants seeking greater oil funds for their region and criminal gangs fight among themselves or battle security forces.

While Yar'Adua comes from a noted political family, he has few allies among Nigeria's powerful and corrupt political elite. His detractors say he was chosen by Obasanjo because he would be a compliant puppet, while his supporters say that as the country's first university educated leader, he'll be able to outwit any adversaries.

Yar'Adua speaks in a wheezing whisper, fixing his listeners with a stare that belies little emotion. He is untainted by corruption charges or close military ties.

Still, many Nigerians wonder if he will be able to resist the powerful _ and largely corrupt _ interests that helped raise him to the highest office in the land.

Asked on state television if he had expected to win, Yar'Adua's gleeful entourage broke into raucous laughter. The austere and normally composed Yar'Adua looked momentarily startled and allowed only a tight smile, saying: "I did, because my party is strong. We enjoy the good will of Nigerians."