Nigerians today 25th of February, 2023 go to the polls to elect a new president, vice-president, 109 members of the Senate and 360 members of the Federal House of Representatives who will steer the affairs of the country for another 4 years.
Nigeria returned to Democracy in 1999 after the civil unrest that took place after the fallout of June 1993 elections that produced the late Chief MKO Abiola.
In this year’s elections, eighteen political parties have presented candidates for the various offices and over 93.5 million adult Nigerians are registered to vote.
The elections will be conducted at 176,606 polling stations spread across the 774 local government areas of the country.
It is Africa’s biggest election and presents huge logistical challenges for the Independent National Electoral Commission.
In data shared by the electoral umpire, INEC, this year elections will largely be determined by the youths who have the highest number of registered voters.
Out of 93.5 million voters, youth between the age of 18-34 years old are made up of 37,060,399 or 39.65%, while middle-aged people between the age of 35-49 years are 33,413,591 or 35.75%.
There are three or four major presidential contenders among the eighteen candidates for this election.
They are:
Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress, APC.
Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP.
Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Political Party, NNPP.
Atiku who was a former Vice President between 1999 to 2007 is contesting for the 6th time.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State is contesting for the first time. Tinubu in 2015 helped install the current government. He’s regarded as King maker but now wants to be the king.
Peter Obi is a former governor of Anambra State. Obi emerged as the third force since the beginning of this democracy in 1999. He’s popular among the youth and has enjoyed their support. The youth are part of the fallout of the EndSARS movement in late 2020. His supporters refer to themselves as ‘Obidients’. His campaign largely contained youths who are tired of the status quo and want change.
No candidate in the history of Nigeria has ever enjoyed the support of youths like Obi.
Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano, is very popular in the northern part of the country. He is a senator.
As the country heads to the polls this morning, who do you think will be the next president?
I would like to read your comments.
Managing Editor,
Lagos Post Online.
Damilare is a disciplined tech enthusiast and media entrepreneur with interest and unparalleled passion for model Web and app design technology. He is a firm believer in the meaningful role research and innovation can play in addressing economic issues across industries and sectors. He’s passionate about online Journalism. Damilare is also a Photographer.
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