Protests after flawed Nigeria poll

Opposition supporters burned buildings, blocked roads and barricaded election offices in Nigeria on Sunday as partial results from flawed state elections showed a big victory for the ruling party.

Local newspapers estimated about 50 people were killed in fighting linked to rigging in Saturday's elections for 36 state governors, which should give Nigerians an idea of what to expect at the presidential election on April 21.

The ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) held onto seven of nine states for which results were announced by the electoral body, the opposition All Nigeria People's Party held one and the southeastern state of Abia swung to the opposition Progressive People's Alliance.

The PDP won 28 of 36 states in the last elections in 2003, and there are half a dozen states where PDP's dominance is vulnerable. These elections should lead to the first fully democratic transition in Africa's most populous country and top oil producer since independence in 1960.

In the northern state of Bauchi, opposition supporters barricaded the main road to offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission (Inec) and made fires on the streets.

"We are trying to protect our votes. We know that Mallam [the opposition candidate] has won the election. We are here because we don't want the results to be tampered with," one of the youths, who gave his name as Baba Ahmed, said.

In the southern oil producing state of Delta, where the PDP was announced the winner, youths armed with cutlasses and guns burned houses and blocked roads in the city of Warri while hundreds of women and children fled on the back of motorcycles.