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WORLD NEWS Monday 18 February 2019

In Nigeria’s tight election, Christian vote is seen as key

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA seeking a second term,
Associated Press and his chief opponent is
YOLA, Nigeria (AP) — Ask Muslim. The rotation to a
worshippers at St. Charles Christian could come after
Catholic Church what they a second term for Buhari.
want most from Nigeria’s Both Buhari and Abuba-
presidential election, and kar have Christian running
the answer is peace. mates, in keeping with tra-
“We don’t want any more dition. Without legal back-
bloodshed in Nigeria,” said ing, however, the rotation-
Everistus Suburu, vice chair- al system essentially relies
man of the church in the on the goodwill of the poli-
northern state of Kano. “We ticians of the day.
are tired of (Islamic extrem- “I am concerned,” said the
ist group) Boko Haram.” Rev. Maurice Kwairanga
The presidential campaign of the Catholic Secretariat
has been largely free of in Yola. “If the Muslims are
the religious pressures that given a platform where
marked the 2015 vote there are no checks and
when Muhammadu Bu- balances, they want to turn
hari, a Muslim northerner, the whole country to Islam.
defeated a Christian presi- If you want to build a cha-
dent from the south who Nigerian women take communion at St Charles Catholic Church, during a mass in Ngurore , pel, the process you have
had grown unpopular over Nigeria, Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019. to go through is very diffi-
his failure to control Boko Associated Press cult. And even if you com-
Haram. cent years to fight Boko balloting, including bad mal system known as zon- plete the process you may
Now, with the leading can- Haram, which opposes a weather affecting flights ing, Nigeria’s presidency not get the chapel.”
didates both northern Mus- secular Nigeria. and fires at three commis- has tended to rotate: A Abubakar is expected to
lims, the Christian vote may Yet religious tensions re- sion offices in an apparent Muslim from the north is perform well among Chris-
be decisive in sweeping main even in an election attempt “to sabotage our succeeded by a Christian tian voters in some central
the incumbent from power that offers no clear sectar- preparations.” from the south. This is widely states, such as Plateau and
for the second time in as ian choice, underscoring The delay has deepened seen as key to holding the Kaduna, where the prob-
many elections in Africa’s the pervasive influence of the sense of mistrust and country together. lem of marauding herd-
most populous country. faith in Nigerian politics. frustration some northern The incumbent Buhari, a ers is severe, said Sylvester
Nigeria’s 190 million people It’s not certain which of the Christians feel toward Bu- Muslim, took over from Akhaine, professor of politi-
are divided almost equally top two candidates Chris- hari’s government. Goodluck Jonathan, a cal science at Lagos State
between Christians mainly tian voters will support, or if “The major problem we Christian. Now Buhari is University. q
in the south and Muslims, they will vote as a bloc. have in this country is that
like Buhari and his oppo- In a bit of last-minute dra- our leaders don’t have the
nent Atiku Abubakar, who ma, the electoral commis- fear of God,” said Murna
dominate in the north. sion decided early Satur- Samuel, a schoolteacher in
Across northern Nigeria, day, just hours before polls Yola, capital of the north-
where street scenes are were to open, to postpone ern state of Adamawa,
rich with Islamic customs the election until Feb. 23. complaining about the
and mosques, people of The commission’s chair- postponement. “We are in
different faiths have co- man, Mahmood Yakubu, a mess. It’s like they don’t
existed over the decades, cited “very trying circum- want to do this election.”
even joining forces in re- stances” in logistics for the Over the years, in an infor-

Fire in slum kills 9 in southeastern Bangladesh

Associated Press official, Jasim Uddin. At least 200 shanty
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — A devastating homes were gutted before firefighters
blaze raced through a crammed slum in brought the blaze under control, Uddin
southeastern Bangladesh on Sunday, kill- said, adding that four of the dead were
ing at least nine people and injuring sev- from a single family. He said the cause of
eral others, a fire official said. the fire was not yet known and that an in-
The fire broke out early in the morning in vestigation was ordered.
the Chaktai area of Chittagong city while Chittagong is 216 kilometers (134 miles)
the slum dwellers were asleep, said the southeast of the capital, Dhaka.q