ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) – Leading contenders in Nigeria’s presidential election have made their final attempt at support a week before the West African nation’s key election.
As the election campaign drew to a close, both the ruling party’s Bola Tinubu and the main opposition’s Atiku Abubakar held rallies on Saturday in the northeast, where extremists have led a decades-long insurgency against Nigeria. Both promised to improve the lives of residents in the region.
Taking to social media, third-party candidate Peter Obi, who came out ahead of the other 17 candidates in most polls, said Africa’s most populous country needs a “fresh start and a fresh start” from the two main parties that have ruled Nigeria since it left military rule in 1999.
The February 25 election that would result in a caretaker government is the most momentous vote in many years for Nigeria, a country of more than 210 million, analysts say.
“This is a battle for the soul of the country given the challenges the country is facing,” said Idayat Hassan, who heads the Center for Democracy and Development, which promotes democracy in the country.
Nigeria is grappling with a deepening security crisis that has killed thousands over the past year, a ailing economy that has impoverished citizens, and growing separatist agitation in the southern region that has further divided the country along ethnic lines.
“Here lies the future of our state and country — in the hands of the PDP,” Abubakar of the largest opposition Peoples Democratic Party told thousands of supporters in Adamawa state as they waved the party’s red, green and white colors.
“If you give us your mandate, we promise to deliver on our promises to ensure we have a united country, a peaceful country, a prosperous economy for our country; that we have the best education for our children and that we empower our state and local governments with appropriate resources,” said the 76-year-old, who has contested two previous presidential elections, including in 2019 when he lost to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.
In Borno state, the epicenter of the 12-year extremism that has upended the lives and livelihoods of millions and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) told a host of supporters: “ new hope is here; Success is back. We take care of you all.”
The former governor of Lagos – Nigeria’s economic hub and largest city – vowed to repeat what he did when he led that state from 1999-2007.
“We promise you, the people of Borno, that you have faced difficulties and challenges, (but) that is over now,” the 71-year-old said as he addressed supporters waving brooms – the party’s symbol .
“One thing I can guarantee: ‘We will revitalize the economy, we will develop Nigeria,’” Tinubu said.
Labor Party’s Obi – who went from underdog to favorite in most polls in the early days of the campaign – particularly appeals to Nigeria’s youth, a large percentage of the country’s 93.4 million registered voters.
“On this march to freedom, I didn’t come out for myself! I’ve stood up for the millions of youth who are losing hope in our beloved country!” Obi tweeted.
In a backlash against the two most popular parties, the 61-year-old said Nigeria was not without good governance ideas and plans, but was “plagued by the impunity” of a small number of people who benefit from the country’s resources at the expense of the masses .
Chinedu Asadu, The Associated Press
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