international observers, but with the INEC at the later stages of votes count, rising tensions are bringing back fear of the post-election violence of 2011.

The electoral commission this today refused the request of the main opposition party, the APC, to cancel the elections in River State on the allegations of violence and massive irregularities. There had been reports of violence and protests in the state, which the home of the wife of the incumbent President Jonathan, who had a public spat with the Governor Rotimi Amaechi. The PDP polled 1.4 million votes in the state, while the opposition party, led by the Governor, managed just under 70,000. River State is traditionally dominated by the ruling PDP , but since Gov Amaechi’s defection to the APC, it has become a battlefront between the supporters of the governor and those who still swear allegiance to the president. The state also has a history of violence; it was a strong base of the Niger Delta Militants. The decision by INEC not to annul the votes in the state could cause the already heightened tensions in the state to degenerate into violence, especially if the APC presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, loses the election.

The ruling party has also been protesting some of the votes of the APC, especially that of Kano State, the most populated northern state. A PDP agent in the INEC collation centre in Abuja, Goodsday Orubebe, today, accused the INEC chairman of partiality and said his party has lost confidence in the process. He called the INEC chairman to suspend the collation process and set up a committee to investigate alleged cases of fraud in Kano. The chairman of the electoral body refused his protestations.

However, the tensions of the elections did not begin with the vote counts. Several issues have dogged the voting process, from the problems with the card readers, heavily complained about by the ruling PDP, to the accusation of connivance by electoral officers, maid mainly by the APC. These issues could mean that whoever loses may not accept defeat, a situation that could lead to violence.

The build of the tensions has already caused most businesses in the major cities to shut down and people to remain in their homes. Several banks in the commercial city of Lagos have been closing by 2pm since Friday the 27th of March, because of fears of violence.