According to an article written by The Economist, a dark omen looms over Nigeria's democracy as it's believed that mayhem could happen as the nation heads towards a very competitive presidential election.

It says ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo's desertion of the PDP and president Goodluck Jonathan and announcing of support for General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd) speak volumes.

The article alleged that a military coup could be in the offing, and that plans for an interim government abound.

Excerpt:

In early February Mr Obasanjo expressed support for Muhammadu Buhari, the opposition candidate in presidential elections which are now scheduled for March 28th, after a controversial six-week postponement. He alleged that the current incumbents might cling to power through a military coup. Later he compared Mr Jonathan to Laurent Gbagbo, the ex-president of Ivory Coast, whose refusal to accept electoral defeat sparked civil war in 2010.

Although Mr Obasanjo’s influence had been waning, his departure is still a blow to the PDP. It is a fresh sign of the bitter feuds within the party, some stoked by the elder statesman. Well before his resignation, the PDP was haemorrhaging members to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), which talks tough on corruption and security. Polls suggest that voters are eager for change. Many suspect the election was delayed to give Mr Jonathan time to try to win back support within his own clique and beyond.

Regardless of the date, there are big worries about how the election will be conducted and what position the army, which also backed the postponement, will take. It has already played politics in making plain its feelings about Mr Obasanjo, calling him a “serious embarrassment”. Pessimists fear the election may not go ahead at all, or that an “interim government” will be proclaimed under the guise of the country’s struggle against Boko Haram, a jihadist group that is running amok in three states in the north-east.

Critics in the ruling party sneer that Mr Obasanjo is merely stirring things up to sell more books. Yet such pronouncements by a veteran power-broker point to a deep malaise in Nigeria’s body politic

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