Lagos, Nigeria - As tension mounts ahead of Saturday's presidential election in Nigeria, the country's main opposition party Friday accused the government of planning to massively deploy armed soldiers in the party's region of South-west to intimidate voters during the election. But the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which swept almost all the seats in last week's National Assembly (parliamentary) poll in the region, warned that the strategy of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the federal government it controls will backfire 'since no military might can force the highly-discerning voters in the region to vote against their conscience.' In a statement issued by the party's spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, ACN said: 'We know that the PDP is totally distraught at the shellacking it received in the South-west in the hands of our party in last week's National Assembly poll, and has thus grown desperate ahead of the remaining elections. But we've got news for the PDP: The worst is yet to come, as the people of the region will totally reject the party on Saturday and in subsequent poll.'.

ACN said it is particularly worrisome that some of the troops were reportedly being mandated to occupy collations centres from the ward to local government and state levels, 'all in a bid to rig the presidential election for President Goodluck Jonathan and then portray last week's result in the National Assembly poll in the region as a fluke'.

The party said the decision to militarise the South-west runs contrary to assurances given by Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, and the Chief of Arny Staff, Gen. Azubike Ihejirika, that soldiers would not be deployed at polling units or collation centres and will only intervene to restore order if the need arises.

It called on all its supporters and all Nigerians 'to be extra vigilant on Saturday to ensure that their votes are not stolen by the palpably desperate party called the PDP'.

Saturday's election will be the second of a three-phase general elections that started with the parliamentary poll last Saturday and will round off with the regional election on 26 April.

The ruling PDP maintains its majority in the bicameral federal legislature, despite losing many seats to the opposition in the parliamentary election.

Pana 16/04/2011