Peter Obi’s unexpected rise has thrown Saturday’s vote into disarray, making it perhaps the most unpredictable in Nigeria’s history
There seemed nothing exceptional about him. A 61-year-old businessman and political veteran who had jumped from party to party, Mr. Obi was a former state governor and a defeated vice-presidential candidate. After faring poorly in a bid for the presidential nomination of the main opposition party last year, he quit and joined the obscure Labour Party, which holds only a tiny handful of seats in Parliament.
The polls are not completely reliable, since an unusually large number of voters say they are undecided or unwilling to disclose their preference. But at a minimum, there seems to be a strong chance that Mr. Obi could prevent either of his main rivals from winning outright on Saturday, forcing an unprecedented runoff between the two leading vote-getters. Analysts are beginning to suggest that he might even win.
His appeal to the youth is his biggest weapon in this race. Of the 93.5 million registered voters in Africa’s most populous country, fully 40 per cent are between the ages of 18 and 34, a generation traditionally neglected by Nigeria’s political elite. Many of them now call themselves “Obidients” – the nickname for Obi supporters.
He charged that the Nigerian state was being held captive by a small elite who have “concentrated political power” in their own hands after gaining power “through their own contrivances.” But his campaign has exposed the cracks in Nigeria’s political system. He has galvanized support from voters who had become cynical at the country’s rising poverty levels and economic stagnation.
المملكة العربية السعودية أحدث الأخبار, المملكة العربية السعودية عناوين
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