More than 93.4 million eligible voters in Nigeria will go to the polls on Saturday, February 25, 2023 in a hotly contested presidential election that analysts say is very close.
The election will be the continent’s biggest democratic exercise as Africa’s most populous nation elects a new President.
Apart from the presidential election, the people will also elect representatives for Parliament – the National Assembly- and there are 469 legislators, consisting of 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives.
There are 176,606 polling stations spread across Nigeria and voting starts at 8:30am and ends at 2:30am, but voters who are still in the queue when the polls close at 2:30pm will be allowed to cast their ballots. to the ballot box.
To be declared the winner of the presidential election, a candidate must get the highest number of votes and at least 25 percent of the votes in at least two-thirds of the 36 states and in Abuja.
If no candidate qualifies, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates within 21 days, which will be a first in the history of Nigeria’s democracy.
18 presidential candidates
Eighteen candidates for Nigeria’s highest office are each confident of turning the country’s fortunes around if elected to power, but opinion polls show that three are leading the race for the popular vote.
One of the main contenders is the former Governor of Lagos, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of President Buhari’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC); others are the main opposition leader and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who is running for the sixth time after five previous defeats, and Peter Obi, a wild card candidate who defected from the PDP to the Democratic Party. The Labor Party is small and currently leads in at least five opinion polls.
Three leading candidates
Tinubu, 70 years old, the former governor of Nigeria’s rich Lagos State, has significant influence in the southwest region where he is recognized as the godfather of politics and king and a wealthy political veteran who is proud to have helped Buhari’s election to the presidency for the fourth time. tried in 2015, after three previous failed bids.
After decades as a political puppeteer, Tinubu announced that it was now his turn to step out of the shadows into the presidency.
Her campaign slogan is, “Emi Lokan,” which translates to “It’s my turn,” in the Yoruba language.
The 76-year-old Abubakar, who served as Vice President from 1999 to 2007, is a powerful capitalist who made his fortune investing in various sectors of the country.
The tycoon has been investigated for corruption in the past. However, he denied any wrongdoing.
Presidential ambitions
Many believe that Abubakar’s presidential ambitions may take an informal arrangement to rotate the presidency between the northern and southern regions of Nigeria, as he is from the same northern region as the outgoing leader, Buhari.
Peter Obi is a two-time former governor of Anambra State who is said to be a credible alternative to the two main candidates.
Obi eschews typical excess
The leader of the ‘African Big Man’.
He avoids large crowds, flies economy class and carries his own luggage. The “no frills” approach has attracted supporters, mostly young Nigerians who call themselves ‘Obidients.’
Obi is also the only Christian among the leading candidates. The southeastern region has not produced a President or Vice President since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999.
The crucial election comes as the country grapples with a host of economic and security issues, from fuel and cash shortages to rising terror attacks, high inflation and a depreciating local currency, and for the first time since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999, no some candidates are incumbent or former military leaders.
Nigeria’s presidential election is usually between the ruling party and the opposition party, but this year’s election has a third strong contender, Peter Obi, running under the lesser-known Labor Party.
The past two elections have been postponed quickly and there are fears that this one will suffer the same fate.
However, the Election Commission insisted there would be no disruption.
Although more than 93 million Nigerians are registered to vote, uncertainty remains over the turnout on polling day, with insecurity among the biggest concerns.
Citizens have also been harassed by attempts to block vote buying by creating old currency notes to prevent rogue politicians from stockpiling cash.
However, there are fears that the shortage of new naira notes could disrupt the election.
The electoral body, INEC, has reportedly warned that the inability to distribute enough new cash could make it difficult to pay temporary staff and security guards needed to operate thousands of polling stations for the February 25 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Poll winner
Any Nigerian who chooses to succeed
President Buhari – only the second incumbent in Nigerian history to bow out willingly after serving two democratic terms – must resolve the litany of crises that have worsened in the administration’s retired army generals.
These include bandits and militant violence now affecting most parts of the country, systemic corruption that deters investment and enriches the well-connected elite; high inflation and widespread cash shortages after the botched introduction of new bills late last year.
Source: graphiconline.com
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