There is tight security in two northern Nigerian states hit by rioting last week as counting began after polls delayed because of the unrest. Bauchi and Kaduna witnessed the worst of the violence in which some 500 people died after the results of the presidential poll were announced. This week's elections for governors took place in other states on Tuesday. The governing People's Democratic Party (PDP) has unexpectedly lost two states in the south-west of the country. Ogun state - home to former President Olusegun Obasanjo - and Oyo were both won by the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria, which now controls almost the whole region. The PDP also lost two other states but gained Kano, the most populous state in the north. Election officials say the result in the south-eastern Imo state was too close to call. Governors enjoy wide powers in Nigeria and some, especially in oil-producing areas, control bigger budgets than those of national governments in some neighbouring West African countries. Turnout in Bauchi and Kaduna appears to have been low. "People are still scared because of last week's mayhem," Solomon Patrick, a 41-year-old civil servant told the AFP news agency at a polling place in Bauchi city. Herds of cattle roamed the streets of Kaduna city on Thursday morning, with few people lining up at polling stations, Reuters news agency reported. It says there were more security agents than voters at the polling station where Vice-President Namadi Sambo voted and many polling stations closed early because of a lack of voters. President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian, was declared the winner of presidential elections but northern supporters of his closest challenger former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari cried foul and took to the streets. Mr Jonathan was appointed to the presidency last year upon the death of incumbent Umaru Yar'Adua, a northerner whom he had served as vice-president. Many in the north felt the next president should have been from their region, as Mr Yar'Adua died before he could finish his term. Gen Buhari won most of the mainly Muslim northern states but nationwide only gained half as many votes as President Jonathan. Analysts say the violence has more to do with poverty and economic marginalisation in the north than religion. The north and south also have cultural, ethnic and linguistic differences. Despite the violence, most observers said the elections had been among the best organised since the return of civilian rule in 1999. Nigeria's electoral marathon began with legislative polls on 9 April, in which the PDP lost some ground but retained its majority. Source: BBC