Nigeria's presidential election on March 28 will not take place peacefully, AbuBakr Shekau, leader of Boko Haram, has said in a new video purportedly released by the group.
In the video, released on social media on Tuesday and obtained by US based SITE intelligence group, Shekau issued a warning to the Goodluck Jonathan's government that next month's elections would be disrupted with violence.
"Allah will not leave you to proceed with these elections even after us, because you are saying that authority is from people to people, which means that people should rule each other, but Allah says that the authority is only to him, only his rule is the one which applies on this land," he said.
"And finally we say that these elections that you are planning to do, will not happen in peace, even if that costs us our lives.
In the video message, titled "A message to the leaders of the disbelievers", the contents of which Al Jazeera has not been able to independently verify, Shekau also takes aim at the leadership of regional countries who are co-ordinating efforts against the group.
"You are claiming that we don't know how to fight, but we forced your forces to flee from their bases and we freed our imprisoned brothers from the prisons that you oppressed them in, only praise be to Allah."
Nigeria's presidential election was to be originally held on February 14, but was postponed due to security concerns.
Speaking before Shekau's threat, Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou vowed that his country would herald the end for the rebels, whose six-year insurgency has cost more than 13,000 lives.
Renewed attacks
"Niger will be the death of Boko Haram," he told a cheering crowd after a protest against the insurgents in the capital Niamey.
But Boko Haram has proved resilient and experts question whether the group can be overpowered in the short-term.
On Tuesday, two suicide attacks ripped through northeast Nigeria, killing at least 38 people and injuring 20 others.
In a separate development, the United States military said on Tuesday they would be providing communications equipment and intelligence to help African nations in the fight against Boko Haram.
Major General James Linder said that, as part of the annual US-backed 'Flintlock' counter-terrorism exercises this year in Chad, the United States would provide technology allowing African partners to communicate between cellphones, radios and computers.
The renewed attacks on Tuesday came as heads of states from Central African countries were ending a meeting in the Cameroonian capital, Yaounde, to plan the creation of a joint military response to the growing regional threat posed by Boko Haram.
The 10 member states announced that they had contributed more than 50 percent of the $100m needed to fight Boko Haram. They also called on Nigeria to cooperate by allowing the multinational joint task force to attack Boko Haram in its strongholds in Nigeria.
Boko Haram has fought a five-year insurgency, has recently begun stepping up its attacks against neighbouring countries after Cameroon, Niger, Chad and Benin agreed to contribute troops toward a regional military effort.
The violence has forced some 157,000 people to seek refuge in Niger, while 40,000 others have gone to Cameroon and 17,000 are in Chad, the UN said.
Almost one million Nigerians are internally displaced, according to the country's own statistics.
Aljazeera
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
300 Boko Haram fighters killed by Nigerian army
More than 300 Boko Haram fighters have been killed in military operations in north-east Nigeria, the army says.
A number of militants had also been captured and weapons and equipment seized, defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said.
Two soldiers had lost their lives and 10 others were wounded during the operation over the last two days in Borno state, he added.
The deaths have not been independently verified.
Nigerian forces have been accused of overstating enemy casualties in the past.
Boko Haram attacks on civilians and the military have killed thousands since the group launched its violent campaign for a breakaway Islamic state in 2009.
Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have recently formed a military coalition and have claimed gains against the group.
BBC
A number of militants had also been captured and weapons and equipment seized, defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said.
Two soldiers had lost their lives and 10 others were wounded during the operation over the last two days in Borno state, he added.
The deaths have not been independently verified.
Nigerian forces have been accused of overstating enemy casualties in the past.
Boko Haram attacks on civilians and the military have killed thousands since the group launched its violent campaign for a breakaway Islamic state in 2009.
Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon and Niger have recently formed a military coalition and have claimed gains against the group.
BBC
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
FMR Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo quits ruling party PDP after criticising President Goodluck Jonathan
Nigeria's former President Olusegun Obasanjo has quit the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 28 March elections, tearing up his membership card in public.
Mr Obasanjo has been fiercely critical of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election on a PDP ticket.
Mr Jonathan is facing a strong challenge from opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.
The elections, due on 14 February, were postponed over security concerns.
BBC Nigeria analyst Ibrahim Shehu Adamu says Mr Obasanjo's decision is a major blow to the PDP, showing the divisions that have hit the party as it battles to extend its 15-year rule.'Serious embarrassment'
In a statement, the PDP described Mr Obasanjo as a "revered leader of our party" and said it was "deeply saddened" by his resignation.
It added that it was "bewildered" by the former president's choice to tear up his party membership card in public.
Mr Obasanjo, 77, was a founding member of the PDP and led the party to two resounding victories after military rule ended in 1999.
So, his decision to quit the PDP may knock the morale of some party activists and persuade undecided voters to back the opposition in the hard-fought presidential and parliamentary elections.
But Mr Obasanjo's move does not come as a complete surprise. His influence within the party has been declining for quite some time and he probably found it difficult to see President Jonathan - whom he once mentored - ignoring his advice.
More worrying for Nigerians will be the role of the military. There are growing suspicions that it is backing Mr Jonathan, raising doubts about its impartiality and the credibility of the elections.
Last week, Mr Obasanjo raised fears of a coup. Many Nigerians will be hoping that his fears are misplaced and that Nigeria holds a free and fair election in which the losing candidate gracefully accepts defeat.
The Nigerian military issued its own statement, calling Mr Obasanjo, a former military ruler as well as an elected president, "a serious embarrassment" after he criticised its role in the postponement of the elections.
Our correspondent says the military's statement has raised concern among many Nigerians that it is taking sides in a political dispute rather than remaining neutral.
Prior to tearing up his membership, Mr Obasanjo told local media outside his residence that he was expecting to be ejected from the party.
"They said they want to expel me from PDP, although I have not been told, but I have my ears on the ground," he said.
'Going for broke'
Mr Obasanjo said he would not be joining another party.
"I will only be a Nigerian, I'm ready to work with anybody regardless of political affiliation. Why would some people say they want to send me away, they don't need to bother themselves, here's your membership card, take it," he added.
Despite his pledge not to defect to another party, Mr Obasanjo has been vocal in his support for Mr Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), although he has fallen short of offering an outright endorsement.
Last week, Mr Obasanjo told London's Financial Times newspaper that he hoped the president was "not going for broke and saying: 'Either I have it or nobody has it'".
Mr Jonathan hit back at Mr Obasanjo, accusing him of threatening "national security" by whipping up opposition to his rule.
"It is very regrettable that in your letter, you seem to place sole responsibility for the ongoing intrigues and tensions in the PDP at my doorstep, and going on from that position, you direct all your appeals for a resolution at me," Mr Jonathan said.
Nigeria's election commission postponed the presidential and parliamentary election after the military said it would not be able to guarantee security at polling stations while it fought militant Islamist group Boko Haram in the north-east.
Mr Jonathan is contesting his second presidential election. His presidency has been marred by powerful PDP members defecting to the newly formed APC, fuelling speculation that he could be defeated in the election.
He has also been strongly criticised for failing to curb Boko Haram's insurgency.
Thousands of people have died as a result of the conflict over the past six years, while more than three million people have been forced from their homes.
The militants control a large stretch of land in north-eastern Nigeria and have stepped up attacks on neighbouring countries.
BBC
Mr Obasanjo has been fiercely critical of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election on a PDP ticket.
Mr Jonathan is facing a strong challenge from opposition candidate Muhammadu Buhari.
The elections, due on 14 February, were postponed over security concerns.
BBC Nigeria analyst Ibrahim Shehu Adamu says Mr Obasanjo's decision is a major blow to the PDP, showing the divisions that have hit the party as it battles to extend its 15-year rule.'Serious embarrassment'
In a statement, the PDP described Mr Obasanjo as a "revered leader of our party" and said it was "deeply saddened" by his resignation.
It added that it was "bewildered" by the former president's choice to tear up his party membership card in public.
Mr Obasanjo, 77, was a founding member of the PDP and led the party to two resounding victories after military rule ended in 1999.
So, his decision to quit the PDP may knock the morale of some party activists and persuade undecided voters to back the opposition in the hard-fought presidential and parliamentary elections.
But Mr Obasanjo's move does not come as a complete surprise. His influence within the party has been declining for quite some time and he probably found it difficult to see President Jonathan - whom he once mentored - ignoring his advice.
More worrying for Nigerians will be the role of the military. There are growing suspicions that it is backing Mr Jonathan, raising doubts about its impartiality and the credibility of the elections.
Last week, Mr Obasanjo raised fears of a coup. Many Nigerians will be hoping that his fears are misplaced and that Nigeria holds a free and fair election in which the losing candidate gracefully accepts defeat.
The Nigerian military issued its own statement, calling Mr Obasanjo, a former military ruler as well as an elected president, "a serious embarrassment" after he criticised its role in the postponement of the elections.
Our correspondent says the military's statement has raised concern among many Nigerians that it is taking sides in a political dispute rather than remaining neutral.
Prior to tearing up his membership, Mr Obasanjo told local media outside his residence that he was expecting to be ejected from the party.
"They said they want to expel me from PDP, although I have not been told, but I have my ears on the ground," he said.
'Going for broke'
Mr Obasanjo said he would not be joining another party.
"I will only be a Nigerian, I'm ready to work with anybody regardless of political affiliation. Why would some people say they want to send me away, they don't need to bother themselves, here's your membership card, take it," he added.
Despite his pledge not to defect to another party, Mr Obasanjo has been vocal in his support for Mr Buhari, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), although he has fallen short of offering an outright endorsement.
Last week, Mr Obasanjo told London's Financial Times newspaper that he hoped the president was "not going for broke and saying: 'Either I have it or nobody has it'".
Mr Jonathan hit back at Mr Obasanjo, accusing him of threatening "national security" by whipping up opposition to his rule.
"It is very regrettable that in your letter, you seem to place sole responsibility for the ongoing intrigues and tensions in the PDP at my doorstep, and going on from that position, you direct all your appeals for a resolution at me," Mr Jonathan said.
Nigeria's election commission postponed the presidential and parliamentary election after the military said it would not be able to guarantee security at polling stations while it fought militant Islamist group Boko Haram in the north-east.
Mr Jonathan is contesting his second presidential election. His presidency has been marred by powerful PDP members defecting to the newly formed APC, fuelling speculation that he could be defeated in the election.
He has also been strongly criticised for failing to curb Boko Haram's insurgency.
Thousands of people have died as a result of the conflict over the past six years, while more than three million people have been forced from their homes.
The militants control a large stretch of land in north-eastern Nigeria and have stepped up attacks on neighbouring countries.
BBC
Monday, February 16, 2015
Video - Nigeria presidential campaign on social media
Nigeria's two main Presidential candidates are not only fighting for votes on the streets, they are doing so on social media as well.
Suicide bomber kills seven in Yobe, Nigeria
A female suicide bomber has killed at least seven people at a crowded bus station in north-eastern Nigeria.
Police say more than 30 others were wounded in the city of Damaturu, capital of Yobe State.
No group has said it carried out the bombing but the jihadist group Boko Haram has previously launched attacks in the city.
On Saturday, Boko Haram fighters tried to take over the regional capital of neighbouring Gombe state.
They were repelled by Nigerian troops backed by a fighter jet.
Marcos Danladi, police commissioner of Yobe State, said Sunday's attack took place at the Damaturu Central Motor Park.
According to reports, the female suicide bomber arrived in a vehicle and walked into a crowd outside a grocery store at the end of the terminal where she detonated her explosives.
Witness Adamu Muhammad said the bus station "descended into panic".
A shop owner told AFP news agency that an angry mob stopped emergency workers from retrieving the remains of the bomber and instead set them on fire.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than three million displaced by Boko Haram's insurgency.
The Islamist militants, who are fighting to create an Islamic state in north-eastern Nigeria, have become a regional threat.
In response, Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have agreed to form a regional military force to combat the group.
Growing insecurity in the north-east led Nigeria to postpone elections due to be held on 14 February.
Correspondents say the insurgency has also cast doubt on the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is accused of not having done enough to contain it.
BBC
Police say more than 30 others were wounded in the city of Damaturu, capital of Yobe State.
No group has said it carried out the bombing but the jihadist group Boko Haram has previously launched attacks in the city.
On Saturday, Boko Haram fighters tried to take over the regional capital of neighbouring Gombe state.
They were repelled by Nigerian troops backed by a fighter jet.
Marcos Danladi, police commissioner of Yobe State, said Sunday's attack took place at the Damaturu Central Motor Park.
According to reports, the female suicide bomber arrived in a vehicle and walked into a crowd outside a grocery store at the end of the terminal where she detonated her explosives.
Witness Adamu Muhammad said the bus station "descended into panic".
A shop owner told AFP news agency that an angry mob stopped emergency workers from retrieving the remains of the bomber and instead set them on fire.
Thousands of people have been killed and more than three million displaced by Boko Haram's insurgency.
The Islamist militants, who are fighting to create an Islamic state in north-eastern Nigeria, have become a regional threat.
In response, Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon have agreed to form a regional military force to combat the group.
Growing insecurity in the north-east led Nigeria to postpone elections due to be held on 14 February.
Correspondents say the insurgency has also cast doubt on the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is accused of not having done enough to contain it.
BBC
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