Nigeria’s main opposition party to pick presidential candidate under tight security

LAGOS. — Nigeria’s main opposition party, the All Progressive Congress is ready to conduct its presidential primaries election amid tight security to pick the party’s flag bearer for the February 2015 general polls.

Cornelius Aderanti, the police chief in charge of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve center, said the police would ensure safety of lives during and after the ruling party’s event.

About 8 000 delegates drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are expected to vote for the five presidential contestants of the party at the party’s special national convention holding at Teslism Balogun Stadium, in Lagos yesterday.

The presidential candidate of the party will emerge today. Five members of the party were last week cleared by the party to fight for its ticket to contest the presidential elections.

The five presidential aspirants are former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State and Sam Nda-Isaiah, the publisher of Leadership newspaper.Political analysts believed that the primaries will be keenly contested between Buhari, a three-time presidential candidate and Abubakar, who is also a former presidential candidate and aspirant. — Xinhua.