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Party pieces

Feuding factions in the governing PDP jostle for jobs, and no prosecutions, before the elections

Voters are less worried about the upcoming elections than the would-be candidates, now battling for territory before the campaign proper starts later this month. On 29 January, the government gave workers the day off to register; the final deadline for registration was extended to 2 February. Before that, the electoral registers had still numbered 10 million people below the estimated 60 million electorate. Partly this is because of apathy, partly because the computerised registration system has turned away many hopeful electors. New registration machines producing sealed cards with photographs and fingerprints are intended to stop fraud. Stories circulate of a politician who is said to have installed six of the machines in his house.

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Party pieces

Feuding factions in the governing PDP jostle for jobs, and no prosecutions, before the elections

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