Africa

Nigeria arrests deputy opposition leader el-Rufai

348093_Nasir-Rufai

Nigeria’s State Security Service (SSS) has arrested the deputy head of the main opposition coalition over alleged comments warning of electoral violence in presidential polls scheduled for next year.

The SSS arrested Nasir el-Rufai, deputy national secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Monday after he was quoted in Nigerian daily ThisDay saying next year’s presidential election was “likely to be violent and many people are going to die,” as has taken place in previous polls.

SSS spokeswoman Marilyn Ogar confirmed el-Rufai’s arrest and said he was being interrogated over the comments.

The comments made by el-Rufi, who is also former minister of the federal capital territory, came after the country’s electoral commission declared on January 24 that presidential and parliamentary elections would be held on February 14, 2015, with governorship elections a week later.

The elections are expected to be a close race and the country is bracing for violence, which have previously been stirred up either to intimidate voters prior to the poll or to dispute the result after it is released.

Supporters of President Goodluck Jonathan are in a bitter dispute with other members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over whether or not he should run in the election.

Critics to Jonathan say it would violate an unwritten rule that power should rotate between the largely Muslim north and Christian south every two terms.

In addition, the election is expected to be close since the four main opposition parties merged last year and formed All Progressives Congress.

Last November, five state governors and dozens of lawmakers defected from the PDP.

Previous elections in Africa’s most populous country and top oil producer have been violent. The latest presidential poll that reelected Jonathan in 2011 led to disputes and to the worst ever post-electoral violence in the country that killed over 500 people.

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