PDP losses ground in parliamentary elections

Opposition parties gained ground against the current ruling party, the People's Democratic Party, in the parliamentary elections held Saturday. The speaker of the House of Representatives, a PDP member, Dimeji Bankole, lost his seat to Iyabo Obasanjo-Bello. 

While Action Congress of Nigeria swept most states in the southwest region of the county, the PDP did manage to win some seats. In the southeast, the PDP gained three senatorial seats, but lost a seat in the northern region of the country to the Congress for Progress Change. 

All results are not yet in, as it takes 48 hours after voting closes to receive final totals. The country is still waiting for results from some of the more rural regions of the country. 

“The pattern we have seen is the confirmation of the PDP’s strength in the southeast and the expansion of the Action Congress in the southwest,” Jibrin Ibrahim said. “In the north the CPC is showing strength.”

The voting for the 109 seat Senate and the 360 seat Horse of representatives is a prelude to the presidential election on April 16. The election will see President Goodluck Jonathan face 18 rivals, including former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari. On April 26, voters will chose the governors and legislatures in the 36 states.

These results show that the people of Nigeria are getting tired of the nonstop violence and corruption of their country. The parliamentary results also show that the country is becoming even more divided, as certain regions of the state lean even more heavily to one side or the other. The existing cleavages in the country and the current elections create an even more volatile situation that should be closely monitored.