In just some few hours, Nigerians will go all out to vote in a new president for the next couple of years. This election has proved like no other in the history of the country as for the first time ever, the electorates have wide choices in picking their next leader.
Leading up to the election, the main contenders remain, Bola Tinubu,71, of the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, Atiku Abubakar, 76, of the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, who has been a serial contender for the position in the past eight years and Peter Obi,61, of the Labour Party,a relatively new and smaller party.
Campaigns have effectively ended Friday for all the political parties in readiness for the Saturday, February 25, when the votes will be cast.
Nigerians vote based on party, ethnic, tribal and religious sentiments, but this particular election from all permutations proof to be different in that the votes may be cast across party lines and other biases going by the utterances of many.
The large number of youth participation in this election, makes it different from all other elections and by far the most hotly contested election in recent times. According to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of the 12 million new applicants that completed the voter registration process, 71% are people between 16-34. And of an estimated 93 million registered voters, 39.7% are youth. This goes to show that this election has triggered the interest of the younger population like never before, shaking off the voter apathy once experienced among this age group.
After almost eight years of disappointing outing by the incumbent president Muhammadu Buhari, who got elected on the plank of ending Boko Haram, curbing corruption and lifting the country from its economic woes, the masses are not prepared for another of such meaningless promises. Most Nigerians claim that the ‘change,’ promised them by the outgoing administration was more like a pig in a pork. They insist they are out to get a real ‘change’ this time. This explains the large following that Peter Obi, a relatively young contestant himself has garnered in such a short time, and is seen by many as the ‘new kid’ in the block that expectantly will provide the people with the new deal they are clamouring for.
Besides, the youths seem to be all out for revenge on a ruling party that has been manifestly hostile to them. In Buhari’s regime, dissent including online dissent by Nigeria’s youth has been silenced, especially with the endsars protest still very fresh in their minds. The administration stifled their voices, leading to deaths in October 2020.
Obi’s mandate therefore resonates with the youths aspirations as one that will restore sanity across all fronts. His radical cost-cutting approach has also won him admirers.
It is for these reasons that most political pundits and polls have indicated the possibility of Peter Obi presidency after Saturday’s very crucial election. Obi and his running mate have received overwhelming support from the Nigerian youths and masses who are obviously tired of the old brigades and the old order. And it is on this very important plank that the outcome of the presidential election will be based. Nigerians are obviously going for those with the mental and physical capacity to lead this country and bring it out of the woods. They realize the complexity of the country and are rooting for a competent leader and one with character that they can be trusted. Obi and his running mate, Datti Ahmed appear to fit this bill like no other.
As we inch toward the ‘D’ day, there is palpable tension among the contestants and their ardent supporters. The youths are prepared, Nigerians are ready as ever and even Nigerians in the diaspiora have boarded their flights into the country. That is how important this election is to all, and the desire to get it right this time around. The whole world is watching. And it appears this election will go down in history as one of the best. That, however, remains to be seen, as the government promises a free, fair and credible election while appealing for calm.