[The following guest contribution to the blog comes from Nigerian journalist and political analyst Salisu Suleiman, who writes for NEXT Newspaper, among other publications. Read his first of three installments here. – Editor] The presidential elections held this past weekend in Nigeria are being closely watched by the international business community, as they pose serious implications for global oil markets as well as domestic and international investment. While we continue to await the final tally of the votes which will determine whether or not a run-off will be possible, incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan is already claiming victory, despite growing protests and violence across the North. Early indications that the vote had been relatively clean are already crumbling … Jonathan’s leading opponent, Muhammadu Buhari has already lodged a complaint contesting numerous results across the North. Among other irregularities, the government has refused to comment on allegations that $2 billion of public money was set aside to deliver the vote for Goodluck Jonathan, but the campaign spending is visibly dominant. Reports from the April 9th parliamentary elections indicate that some voters were publicly bribed to vote PDP, while other reports indicated that electoral officials were induced with huge sums of money. Rising above all other issues being debated by the candidates this year is the economy – and how they plan to overcome the enduring challenges of transforming record high oil prices into new jobs and development, while cutting out the national cancer of corruption. Contrary to popular myth, Nigeria is a very wealthy country, but one that happens to be extraordinarily imbalanced. More than 70 percent of the country’s estimated 160 million people live below the poverty line. Unemployment is estimated at about 30 percent. Oil income provides over 90 percent of government revenue while critical sectors like agriculture and mining are underfunded.