The centre-left People's Democratic Party (PDP) was yesterday on course for a landslide victory in Nigeria's parliamentary elections, virtually assured of an overall majority in the country's new assembly, electoral officials said.
With over two-thirds of results in for the 109-seat senate, the PDP, which is fielding the former military ruler, Gen Olusegun Obasanjo, in presidential elections next weekend, had 48 seats late last night, just short of an overall majority, against 18 for the south-west-based Alliance for Democracy (AD) and 14 for the rightwing All Peoples Party (APP).
In elections for the 360-seat House of Representatives, the PDP had picked up 145 seats, against 59 for the AD and 40 for the APP, officials added.
Fifty-five seats are needed for a majority in the senate and 181 for a majority in the House of Representatives. The expected PDP win would boost the Obasanjo campaign.
The parliamentary polls, the third elections in Nigeria in under 10 weeks, took place peacefully on Saturday, marked only by a lower turnout than in previous votes, a fact observers blamed on voter fatigue and the relatively low status given to the parliament in the expected constitution.
Power in the constitution, due to be implemented later this year, is believed to rest mainly with the president, leaving the parliament a relatively weak body.
In the eastern town of Enugu, the three senatorial seats went unexpectedly to the AD and APP, suggesting a backlash against the party which last weekend selected Gen Obasanjo as its presidential candidate over the former civilian vice-president, Mr Alex Ekwueme, who is from Enugu.
The PDP won local polls in December and state elections in January and is expected to win the presidential election on February 27th.