Poll tactics worries Nigerian press

Nigerian newspapers have been expressing concern about what they see as the underhand methods being employed by some candidates in the run up to the polls for state and federal elections. The press has also been taking sides over who it sees as the best man to run the country for the next four years.

The Northern Hausa-language paper Al-Mizan blames candidates for engaging in "unwholesome strategies" in their bid to win votes in the elections for state governor. It accuses some contestants of employing "thugs" to disrupt the voting in their opponents' strongholds.

The run-up to the polls has been dogged by "blackmail and political deals" in which millions of naira have changed hands, according to the paper. And these are just a few of the "dirty deals" which it says have characterised the election race.

The Nigerian Tribune is also troubled by the threat of violence. "The invocation of the spectre of violence... is most worrisome at best and, at worst, irresponsible," the paper says.

You may not like this president, but where is the alternative?

Vanguard

It also warns against what it sees as the possible "hijack of power" by the country's powerful military.

Plea to end violence

The Vanguard shares the same concerns, noting that violence cannot be the right course of action.

"What we would find unacceptable is for these parties to take the laws into their hands by fomenting trouble that may stall the on-going elections or subsequent ones," the paper says.

"The current threat of violence must stop."

The paper urges politicians to oversee proper ballot paper returns to Nigeria's election watchdog, the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Any doubts about election results should be contested "within the confines of a court room or election tribunal", it says.

Obasanjo v Buhari

Turning to the presidential candidates the Vanguard comes out firmly in favour of incumbent President Olusegun Obasanjo as the candidate who "stands head and shoulders" above all the others.

[Buhari] is adept in religious rascality and ethnic arrogance

Al-Mizan

The paper maintains that he is the best choice available and poses a question for its readers: "You may not like this president, but where is the alternative?"

The paper puts its trust in Nigerians "to vote responsibly" and is sure they have no desire to vote for a change in president.

The Daily Independent, which also endorses Mr Obasanjo, launches a bitter attack on his main rival, Muhammadu Buhari.

"Here is a man who is adept in religious rascality and ethnic arrogance," the paper says, focusing on his Muslim beliefs and northern Nigerian origins.

The paper believes that a victory for Mr Buhari could have grave consequences for the country. "If given another chance, Buhari will turn Nigeria into another Afghanistan and set up a Taleban-like government," the paper believes.

Nigeria's silent revolution?

By contrast, Al-Mizan describes Mr Obasanjo as a failure who is "inept and incompetent" with the "proverbial gift of insulting peoples' sensibilities".

According to the paper, he is the "worst president in the history of governance in Nigeria".

Nigeria - possibly the worst democracy money can buy

Daily Trust

More opposition support comes from Idang Alibi, a columnist in Nigeria's Daily Trust, who says that support for Mr Buhari is a sign of the "beginning of Nigeria's silent, velvet revolution".

He chooses to hit out at Mr Obasanjo, accusing him of belligerent tactics during the election period. Mr Obasanjo's behaviour is no better than that displayed by the "coalition forces that recently overran Iraq".

An editorial in the same paper also shows support for the opposition, saying that Nigeria's current administration is not a good example of democracy.

It worries about the possible consequences of a vote for Mr Obasanjo.

"If we bungle the elections next Saturday, it will make Nigeria... possibly among the worst democracy money can buy," it concludes.

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.