This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/africa/5390230.stm
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Nigeria vice-president suspended | Nigeria vice-president suspended |
| (about 14 hours later) | |
| Nigeria's ruling party has suspended the vice-president from its ranks for three months over corruption reports. | Nigeria's ruling party has suspended the vice-president from its ranks for three months over corruption reports. |
| Atiku Abubakar denied the claims, saying they were politically motivated. | Atiku Abubakar denied the claims, saying they were politically motivated. |
| He hopes to contest next year's general election and backed a campaign to prevent President Olusegun Obasanjo from seeking a third term. | He hopes to contest next year's general election and backed a campaign to prevent President Olusegun Obasanjo from seeking a third term. |
| Mr Abubakar will remain vice-president but his suspension means he will not be eligible to seek the ruling PDP's presidential nomination. | Mr Abubakar will remain vice-president but his suspension means he will not be eligible to seek the ruling PDP's presidential nomination. |
| He condemned the decision of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) as an "evil plot" to keep him out of the 2007 race. | He condemned the decision of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) as an "evil plot" to keep him out of the 2007 race. |
| "By the grace of God, this sinister plot will fail," he said in a statement. | "By the grace of God, this sinister plot will fail," he said in a statement. |
| The suspension is the latest blow to Mr Abubakar's presidential ambitions, the BBC's Alex Last reports from Lagos. | |
| He is already feuding with the president over corruption allegations which could bar him from contesting next year's elections, our correspondent notes. | He is already feuding with the president over corruption allegations which could bar him from contesting next year's elections, our correspondent notes. |
| The PDP is the largest party in Nigeria, has the most money and, more importantly, is in power, so it is viewed as the best place to be if running for office, says our correspondent. | The PDP is the largest party in Nigeria, has the most money and, more importantly, is in power, so it is viewed as the best place to be if running for office, says our correspondent. |