We must ensure that security operatives at the gate to the convention venue are our people

They should be identified and taken to Ghana for orientation and ware housing

Should return to Nigeria for assigned duty not later than 2 days to Primaries

Should have clear instruction not to allow money into venue from opposition camp, except from our own people

Deliberate reduction in number of opposition delegates accreditation…

Safeguard and closely monitor our delegates

Provide secure accommodation and lock them up

Prevent opposition from infiltrating our delegates ranks

Provide welfare and logistics for delegates at the venue

Suggested minimum per delegates should be between N1.2m-N2m

We should have the on-the-spot available means to increase if it becomes necessary depending on feelers from opposition camps.

Supervision and intimidation of delegates at the venue

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While it captures only episodic media attention, NGO personnel and others report ongoing ethnic and religious violence in the Middle Belt state of Plateau in the center of Nigeria, especially around the state capital, Jos. However, the murder of at least thirty Christians over Christmas in Jos, and the likely unrelated church attacks with loss of life in Maiduguri in Borno state in the far north, will once again focus international media attention on religious and ethnic bloodshed in Nigeria, not the least because the violence has been denounced by the Pope. Read more »

Some Northern Nigerian Muslim politicians with membership in the Northern Political Leaders Forum (NPLF) and close to former vice president Atiku Abubakar are suing to require ‘zoning,’ the ruling People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) power sharing arrangement by which its presidential candidates alternate between the predominately Muslim North and the predominately Christian South. Up to now, the general understanding had been that ‘zoning’ was an internal PDP arrangement that was not mandated by law. The suit is scheduled for a January 4 hearing. Read more »

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Cindy Shiner from allafrica.com interviewed me about my book and the current political situation in Nigeria.

Here’s an excerpt:

What you’ve got right now is a convergence of stresses. You’ve got the Delta, you’ve got Boko Haram and similar groups in the north, and you have an apparent division amongst the elites along north-south lines. Read more »

Some short background videos on key issues in Nigeria:

Christian-Muslim Relations in Nigeria

CFR Senior Fellow for Africa Policy Studies John Campbell discusses the relations between Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. Campbell emphasizes that where religious divisions correspond to ethnic and economic differences, conflict often acquire a religious coloration. Read more »

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The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has gone public with his intention to prosecute five senior Kenyan political figures for crimes against humanity associated with the 2007 elections. While this is a highly positive step with respect to breaking down a culture of impunity among senior African political figures, many African politicians across the continent will not welcome this. Sub-Saharan African opinion in general puts a premium on “African solidarity,” and African media and political figures have already accused the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, an Argentine lawyer, of an undue focus on their continent. Many Africans have objected to his efforts to prosecute Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan for genocide. Read more »