WORLD IN BRIEF : NIGERIA : Army Derailed Vote Secretly, Official Says

The military government secretly organized the lawsuits that derailed the June 12 elections so the army could keep power, a top official with the group that filed the suits said. The stunning disclosure bolstered critics who have contended that the military ruler, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, was orchestrating political chaos to keep from stepping down Aug. 27 as promised. Abimola Davis, No. 2 official in the shadowy group that supports Babangida’s continued rule, said annulment of last month’s elections was “an organized confusion by just a few of us to prolong the life span of the present military administration.” Davis fled the country with his family after his news conference in the capital of Abuja.