Obasanjo issues election warning

No civilian government has organised successful elections

By Dan Isaacs BBC Lagos Correspondent

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has issued a strong warning to those forces intending to undermine forthcoming national elections through violence.

No credible election can be conducted in an environment where fear, intimidation and violence abound

President Obasanjo

Speaking in a public broadcast to mark the third anniversary of his inauguration as head of state, Mr Obasanjo said current ethnic and religious violence in the country had been motivated by greed and the egos of some politicians.

He warned that this would no longer be tolerated.

In the three years since Mr Obasanjo was elected, as many as 10,000 people have died in internal conflict.

'Primordial groupings'

There are growing fears that similar unrest could affect the coming election period, which culminates in the presidential vote early next year.

"Primordial groupings, disguised as cultural or religious associations, have made creeping inroads into the political arena, and are, at this very moment, influencing the political direction of our nation without any responsibility for their actions," he said.

Obasanjo says he will not tolerate unrest

In future, those who embarked on violence to achieve political ambitions would be dealt with severely under new laws, Mr Obasanjo said.

The new laws are intended to make politicians not only accountable, but also liable to pay compensation to those affected.

His words are timely.

On Tuesday a human rights panel concluded almost three years' work on human rights violations by successive military governments in Nigeria since independence.

The conclusion, said Mr Obasanjo, would help the country to come to terms with some of the worst abuses of the past so that they would not be repeated.

He stood by a commitment to study the recommendations of the report and act upon them appropriately.

Serious concerns

But he did not directly address the issue of compensation for the victims of past political violence.

More than 10,000 people have died in internal conflict in the last three years

The electoral process in Nigeria begins with local elections in August and culminates in the presidential poll, to be held by April next year.

And despite Mr Obasanjo's clearly stated commitment to deal with unrest, serious concerns remain - not least because since independence there has never been a successful election campaign managed by a civilian government.

The last attempt back in 1983 was deeply flawed and followed almost immediately by a military takeover.