President Goodluck Jonathan’s Peoples Democratic Party faces
stiff opposition from Muhammadu Buhari’s All Progressives Congress in
Nigeria’s upcoming election. Here is a rundown of the contenders and the
issues that will influence the 14 February vote.
The incumbent: Goodluck Jonathan
Jonathan,
a Christian from the oil-rich South Bayelsa State, rose to power in
unusual circumstances. In 1999 he was selected as the running mate of
the Bayelsa state governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. He took over the
governorship when Alamieyeseigha was impeached on corruption charges.
In
2007 the PDP selected Jonathan as a running mate to Musa Yar’Adua, who
died in office on 6 May 2010. Jonathan took over the post and in 2011
won a landslide victory over Muhammadu Buhari.
Jonathan holds a
bachelors degree in zoology, a masters in hydrobiology and a PhD in
zoology. Before entering politics he lectured at the River State College
of Education.
The contender: Muhammadu Buhari
Buhari
was military head of state between January 1984 and August 1985 after
he ousted the democratically elected government of Shehu Shagari.
Buhari’s rule was marred by allegations of human rights violations and
attacks against journalists daring to speak out against him.
The
72-year-old does not have a strong academic background. He was trained
in the military, and holds a masters in strategic studies from the US
Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Buhari has been the
perennial runner-up in recent Nigerian elections. He lost to Olusegun
Obasanjo in 2003, and in 2007 to Musa Yar’Ádua. In 2011 he lost heavily
to Jonathan.
Hailing from the Muslim north, Buhari has
continuously failed to secure votes from the country’s Christians. Some
of Buhari’s opponents accuse him of being a pro-Islamist. However, he
has been vocal in denouncing the Boko Haram insurgency.
Election issues
Security
and the economy will probably dominate the agenda in the lead-up to the
election, according to Nigerian political analysts. Science, innovation
and technology are unlikely to be popular topics.
The ruling
party is not as strong as it was in the 2011 elections, since many PDP
members have defected to the new APC coalition opposition as a result of
internal party tensions.
However, the ruling party could benefit
indirectly from insecurity in the north caused by Boko Haram, which may
mean some Muslim areas are unable to hold elections and thus not
contribute to the overall results.
Final results from the country’s 68.8 million registered voters are expected to be delivered within two days of polling.
This piece was put together By Jackie Opara
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