ABUJA (AP):

Up to yesterday, former military dictator Muhammadu Buhari maintained a commanding lead in Nigeria's bitterly contested presidential election, according to a partial vote count yesterday, and appeared set to oust President Goodluck Jonathan.

If Buhari wins and Jonathan steps down, it would mark the first time in Nigeria's history that an opposition party has democratically taken control of the country from the ruling party.

With results outstanding from only seven of the 36 states and some 22 million votes counted, Buhari is leading by 1.5 million votes.

Buhari crucially carried Lagos state, Nigeria's commercial hub with the largest number of voters, according to results announced yesterday, after taking crushing wins in three states in the Muslim north, where he is revered.

The austere and strict retired general, who says he is a convert to democracy, for the first time won states in the southwest and even took one third of votes in a southeastern state, an unprecedented development that some say reflects more of an anti-Jonathan than a pro-Buhari sentiment.