Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - Two "old foxes" of Nigerian politics and one (almost) outsider, very popular with the younger electorate, are the three favorites in the presidential elections that will take place in Nigeria tomorrow, February 25th.
The only thing that unites the three challengers is that none of them have a military background, unlike outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari, who cannot stand for re-election after his second term ends. 70-year-old Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former governor of Lagos, is running for the outgoing President's party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), while the main opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), is represented by 76-year-old Atiku Abubakar who was vice-president in the second term of Olusegun Obasanjo (who was president from 1976 to 1979 and then from 1999 to 2007) and has run for five presidential elections.
Both Tinubu and Abubakar are members of the elites of the Muslim north, violating the unwritten rule that alternately elect a president from the Muslim north (like the outgoing Buhari) and one from the Christian south.
The third main candidate comes from the south. 61-year-old Peter Obi, former governor of the state of Anambra (southeast), embodies the hopes for renewal, particularly among the country's youth. Obi was originally a member of the PDP but switched to the Labor Party (LP) in 2022. Since then he has
gained considerable support from the younger sections of the Nigerian electorate.
Widespread insecurity and the economic crisis are the main problems afflicting Nigerians and to which politicians must respond (see Fides, 21/2/2023).
This year's elections are considered a turning point in the country's democratic history, because in addition to the presidential elections on February 25, votes will also be taken on filling the 469 seats in the National Assembly, for which 4,223 candidates are running. Also, on March 11, 28 out of 36 states will elect a new governor, with 17 incumbent governors reaching their term limits and therefore unable to run. The expectations for a renewal of political leadership at local and federal level are therefore very high. If these expectations are not met, there is a risk of further tension and violence in a country of over 213 million people (93 million eligible voters), four in ten of whom live below the poverty line, without electricity, drinking water or sanitation. In the past, there has often been a wave of violence in connection with elections, which also involved political parties, which often pursue ethnic and denominational interests. Despite the agreement signed in September 2022 by the candidates and representatives of the 18 political parties for a peaceful election campaign, this year's election campaign was again marked by violence. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 24/2/2023)
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