Goodluck Jonathan is set for election as Nigeria's president with almost double the vote of his main rival, partial results suggest. Figures provided by regional officials suggest he has garnered enough votes to avoid a run-off. A BBC correspondent says there is a sense of relief and jubilation that the vote and count have been relatively calm, unlike in past years.
However, some results in individual states have been suspiciously high.Mr Jonathan had staked his reputation on the election, repeatedly promising it would be free and fair.Unless the national electoral commission declares a large chunk of the votes to be invalid, he is now on track to become Nigeria's first elected president from the oil-producing Niger Delta region.The Christian politician was appointed to the presidency last year, upon the death of incumbent Umaru Yar'Adua, whom he had served as vice-president.'99.63%'
To win at the first round, a candidate needs at least 25% of the vote in two-thirds of Nigeria's 36 states.
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Rioting erupted in several towns in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north as election officials prepared to release presidential voting results that were likely to keep Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian leader from the south, in charge of Africa's most populous nation.
Allegations of vote rigging led to street riots in various states on Monday, as results showed sharp divisions between the mainly Muslim north and the predominately Christian south.
Protesting youths challenged soldiers deployed to the streets of Nigeria's second-largest city of Kano, and troops sought to push them back, an AFP correspondent said.
The violence came as Jonathan of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) took an early unassailable lead in Saturday's presidential election.
Yvonne Ndege, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Abuja, said the preliminary results upset supporters of the incumbent president's main rival, Muhammadu Buhari, in the north.
Protesters also stopped cars and demanded that passengers express support for Buhari, an ex-military ruler, whose stronghold is in the north.
"About four or five northern states have reacted extremely angrily that Goodluck Jonathan has won this election. in Kaduna state churches are apparently on fire and a child may have died in an arson attack.
In the northeast, the offices of the PDP have been burned in some areas. People are basically saying that they believe that the PDP have rigged this election, that the numbers don't add up."
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Rioting erupted in several towns in Nigeria's predominantly Muslim north as election officials prepared to release presidential voting results that were likely to keep Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian leader from the south, in charge of Africa's most populous nation.
Allegations of vote rigging led to street riots in various states on Monday, as results showed sharp divisions between the mainly Muslim north and the predominately Christian south.
Protesting youths challenged soldiers deployed to the streets of Nigeria's second-largest city of Kano, and troops sought to push them back, an AFP correspondent said.
The violence came as Jonathan of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) took an early unassailable lead in Saturday's presidential election.
Yvonne Ndege, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Abuja, said the preliminary results upset supporters of the incumbent president's main rival, Muhammadu Buhari, in the north.
Protesters also stopped cars and demanded that passengers express support for Buhari, an ex-military ruler, whose stronghold is in the north.
"About four or five northern states have reacted extremely angrily that Goodluck Jonathan has won this election. in Kaduna state churches are apparently on fire and a child may have died in an arson attack.
In the northeast, the offices of the PDP have been burned in some areas. People are basically saying that they believe that the PDP have rigged this election, that the numbers don't add up."
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