2023 General Elections: The race begins

The battle for Aso Rock is gaining momemtum as the various political parties searches for an acceptable presidential candidate with the issue of zoning still raging


Since the release of electoral time-table for 2023 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Nigerian Political landscape has become animated with politicians jostling to vie for elective positions at various levels in the country. There is no doubt that 2023 elections would be one of the most keenly contested elections in the country going by the array of notable politicians that have indicated interest to contest, especially the presidency. Already the political parties have intensified preparations for the big battle ahead. Just recently, the ruling party at the national level, the All Progressives Congress (APC) held the long awaited its national convention to elect members of the National Executive Council (NEC) who would lead the party to 2023 election battle. But the convention was a litmus test for the party which was almost torn apart by internal crisis over the choice of its national chairman and other national officers.

It would be recalled that the party’s hierarchy was jolted when a group of governors from the party led by fiery and influential governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, had moved to remove Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State as the Chairman of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). Governor El-Rufai, who claimed to have the support of President Muhammadu Buhari to oust Governor Buni as chairman of CECPC, said that their action was to save the party from being hijacked by those they described as “yahoo, yahoo governors”. He also disclosed that Governor Sani Bello of Niger State had been appointed to replace him and organise the convention. Interestingly, both President Buhari and Governor Buni were on medical trip abroad when the “coup plot” took place.

Although it was not clear if President Buhari actually gave his support to the El-Rufai group, his decision to back Governor Buni led CECPC helped to save the party from possible implosion. Also, President Buhari, who always avoids meddling in the running of the party affairs, surprisingly took a bold stand in support of former governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Adamu Abdullahi, as the national chairman of the party.

President Buhari’s endorsement of Senator Adamu Abdullahi as the consensus candidate of the party as national chairman expectedly did not go down well with some governors and party stalwarts who were more in favour of democratic process in the election of national leaders of the party. But they had to accept it in the interest of the party. Equally other aspirants for the national chairmanship of the party, who had been campaigning for a while, had to surrender at the last minute when it became quite clear to them that the president would not waver on his support for Adamu.

For now the party has been able to hold its national convention which many feared could lead to its breakup. But there are still a lot of unresolved issues that could undermine the party’s chances of winning 2023 presidential election. For instance, there are some state chapters that do not have functional executives due to factional interest. Although the party has zoned the presidential ticket to the South, but which zone of the South that would produce the presidential candidate remains a major issue.

On the other hand, the main opposition party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), is also grappling with series of problems that may hinder its chances of regaining power in 2023. The party, which lost the presidential seat to All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015, after being in power for about 16 years, is desperate to return to Aso Rock. But the zoning of its presidential ticket remains its biggest hurdle, which could make or mar its hope of returning to power in 2023 (while those from the South, especially the Southeast, are insisting that it is the turn of the zone to produce the next president, their northern counterparts believe that the presidential candidate of the party can come from any zone.

Indeed, some influential politicians from the North have argued that what the party needs is a strong, influential and popular candidate who can help them win the election. According to them, what should be of uttermost interest to the party is to regain power from APC, and as such issue of zoning should be jettisoned. The party in its wisdom and succumbing to pressure from various interests have thrown the presidential race open to all zones. It’s now an open battle for all the zones. How the party would be able to wriggle out from the presidential candidate quagmire remains an arduous task for Iyorchia Ayu led National Executive. Some political observers, who have been following developments in the party with keen interest, believe that the party’s chances of winning the presidential election depend strongly on how it handled the issue of presidential candidate.

While the APC and PDP are battling to salvage their parties from the smouldering internal crisis, there are strong indications that other political parties are preparing for a showdown in the 2023 elections. For now, there is alignment of forces by those who believe that Nigeria must be rescued from the hands of the two major parties (APC and PDP), which the accused to have mismanaged the country’s resources in the past 22 years. One of such parties that have joined the race for 2023 is New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), which is headed by former governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. The popular Kano State born politician and former PDP chieftain said that his party is working very hard to rescue the country from bad leadership, which is the cause of the present insecurity and economic hardship.

The leader of the formidable Kwankwasiyya movement believes strongly that his party would be a major contender for 2023 election. He said that his party would hugely benefit from likely exodus of politicians from APC and PDP, who are dissatisfied with the undemocratic process in the selection.

There is no doubt that the race for 2023 general elections would be a very difficult and challenging one. The parties and their candidates must be prepared to work very hard to convince Nigerian Electorate on why they deserve their mandate. With the expected improvement in the electoral process following the signing into law of the long awaited amended Electoral Bill by President Buhari and growing voters awareness, Nigerians are hoping for a free, fair and transparent election that would enable them elect the right candidates. The race has just begun, but it promises to be such that would define Nigeria’s future.