Obasanjo election victory challenged

The vote will be the first under civilian rule for 20 years

A member of President Olusegun Obasanjo's People's Democratic Party (PDP) has filed a court case calling for fresh primaries and for Mr Obasanjo to be disqualified.

Alex Ekwueme said at the time of Mr Obasanjo's election earlier this month that the PDP primaries were rigged after Mr Obasanjo won more than 70% of the votes.

Mr Ekwueme's move coincides with the Nigerian vice president's call to Muslims leaders on Sunday not to mix religion with politics ahead of elections in April.

OLUSEGUN OBASANJO

1937: Born in south-west; a Christian and a Yoruba

1976-79: Military ruler

1995-98: Jailed by military regime

1999: Elected president

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Atiku Abubakar made the call to Islamic and traditional rulers in the northern city of Kaduna, and a joint committee is now scheduled to meet soon.

Last November, tensions between Muslims and Christians in Kaduna spilled over into violence which left more than 200 people dead.

The presidential election pits a Christian, incumbent Olusegun Obasanjo, against a Muslim, Muhammadu Buhari, and some observers fear that the elections could trigger more religious violence in a country where more than 10,000 people have died in communal fighting since 1999.

Both men are former military rulers of Nigeria.

Re-election campaign

Some imams have recently been urging Muslims to vote for Mr Buhari, prompting Mr Abubakar's visit.

Mr Abubakar, a northern Muslim, is again Mr Obasanjo's running mate.

Mr Abubakar's visit to Kaduna was criticised by the emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Mustapha Haruna Jokolo, who said steps should have been taken much earlier.

"We are unhappy to hear any such talk. If anybody starts showing religious differences - with some saying we only want a Muslim, others saying we only want a Christian and so on - it will bring an unpleasant disagreement among us," the emir said.

MUHAMMADU BUHARI

Military ruler of Nigeria from 1984 to 1985

Deposed in a coup

Poor human rights record

Seen as honest

Muslim from northern Nigeria

Running mate is Chuba Okadigbo, from south-east

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"If a Muslim person chooses a Christian person as their running mate - or vice versa - and if he wins the elections and then dies, what would happen then? The vice president becomes president, don't they?"

Mr Obasanjo has lost the support of many Muslims because of his opposition to the introduction of strict Sharia punishments in largely Muslim northern Nigeria in recent years.

On Monday, Mr Obasanjo is taking his re-election campaign to the northern city of Kano.

Last week, Nigerian police arrested three men allegedly contracted to print as many as five million fake voters' cards ahead of the elections.

The April poll will be the first to be held by a civilian government for some 20 years.

Elections will also be taking place to elect governors, senators and members of federal and state parliaments.