International observers criticised previous elections

Observers in Nigeria have condemned the weekend elections to state houses of assembly.

Both a Nigerian group and the European Union said there were incidents of ballot box stuffing, multiple voting and forged results.

"The elections in [some] states lack credibility and the level of fraud effectively disenfranchised a considerable number of voters," said the interim report from the European Union.

International observers had also criticised last month's presidential, parliamentary and state governor elections, which saw victories for President Olusegun Obasanjo and his People's Democratic Party (PDP).

Results released so far from the weekend polls mirror those from last month, with a landslide for the PDP, except for the extreme north, where the All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) is ahead.

'Not credible'

There were also isolated incidents of violence during the state assembly elections.

Police have said that a senior state official was killed by an angry mob in a police station in central Nasarawa State, according to the French news agency, AFP.

Numerous cases of electoral fraud, and malpractices, including under-age voting, multiple voting... snatching of ballot boxes, falsification of results, and so on, were observed Transition Monitoring Group

Joyce Miamuna Katai, the state commissioner for womens' affairs, was attacked by protesters in the town of Toto on Saturday as she tried to vote, police spokesman Isaac Ochenehi told AFP.

Two of her aides were also killed, the police spokesman said.

Some 14 people were also reportedly killed in gun battles in the southern oil-rich Niger Delta.

"There were also reports of collusion of security personnel, especially the police, in the perpetration of electoral malpractices in some states," said the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).

Two TMG monitors were assaulted on polling day, one of whom was beaten with a chain by a uniformed policeman, the group said.

'Ballot stuffing'

Their report cited as an example of fraud a polling official at a centre in the southern Enugu State, who "was caught thumb-printing ballot papers and stuffing them into the ballot box after waiting for voters who did not turn up."

Correspondents say that voter turnout was much lower for the state assembly elections than in the previous elections.

Obasanjo is expected to ride the wave of criticism

"Despite the acclaimed low turnout throughout the country, there are still maximum results from some states," said the TMG report.

The opposition ANPP's presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, had urged the international community not to acknowledge Mr Obasanjo's victory due to the alleged irregularities.

But his re-election has now been recognised by most members of the international community and Nigerian observers expect him to ride out the challenge to his mandate.

Last month's elections were the first since Nigerian's return to civilian rule in 1999 and the first organised by a civilian regime in 20 years.