Nigeria court set to hear presidential vote dispute
ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria's top court begins preliminary hearings on Thursday in an election dispute whose outcome could either force President Umaru Yar'Adua from office or strengthen his grip on power in Africa's most populous nation.
Yar'Adua took office in May last year, a month after polls which foreign observers said were so marred by vote-rigging and intimidation that they "fell far short of international standards" and were not credible.
Former vice president Atiku Abubakar and former army head of state Muhammadu Buhari, who both ran against Yar'Adua, appealed to the Supreme Court after an election tribunal turned down their demands for a re-run in late February.
They have asked Nigeria's top court to set aside the tribunal ruling, nullify Yar'Adua's victory and order a fresh presidential election in Africa's top oil producer.
"All interlocutory motions on the two appeals will be taken on Thursday," Supreme Court Justice Alloysius Katsina-Alu said.
The preliminary arguments are likely to include whether the country's election body should be allowed additional time to file its own brief, and whether its head can serve as a witness for one of the challengers.
Crossing those hurdles would pave the way for the main case, which is expected to begin in early October, but it may be several weeks beyond that before a final verdict is reached.
Nigeria has been central to the portfolios of investors seeking to profit from Africa's fastest growth in decades particularly after Yar'Adua's predecessor, Olusegun Obasanjo, started pushing through economic reforms.
But the legal wrangling over the election has undermined the first 16 months of Yar'Adua's administration, slowing government business and weighing on investment decisions by foreign investors unnerved by the political uncertainty.
MIXED VERDICT
Yar'Adua's critics say reforms begun by Obasanjo have ground to a halt, the national power grid is on the verge of total collapse and militant attacks on the mainstay oil industry in the Niger Delta are as intense as they have ever been.
His supporters say his mantra of due process and upholding the rule of law is vital if the world's eighth biggest oil exporter is to break a cycle of graft and cronyism which has left it ranked among the most corrupt countries in the world.
Some analysts expect to see a second, more dynamic and self-assured phase of leadership once Yar'Adua can put the Supreme Court ruling -- which is broadly expected to go in his favour -- behind him.
There are signs that he is already consolidating his hold on power. He has restructured the country's ministries, replaced the military top brass and changed powerful posts in the presidency and government in recent weeks.
Should the Supreme Court find against Yar'Adua, both he and Vice President Goodluck Jonathan, would have to stand down for a new election to be held within three months.
The country would be run in the interim by the President of the Senate, David Mark, a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party and close ally of Yar'Adua. Yar'Adua could run for office again.
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(Writing by Nick Tattersall; Editing by Ralph Boulton)