Presidential in Nigeria: the obligation to gather for Bola Tinubu, candidate of the ruling party
The ruling party's candidate, Bola Tinubu, for the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria.
STEFAN HEUNIS / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
The ruling Congress of Progressives (APC) has nominated Bola Ahmed Tinubu as its candidate for the 2023 presidential election. This former governor of Lagos won a very large victory by bringing together 1,271 votes according to the count of the ballots of some 2,300 delegates. party.
Bola Tinubu now has the heavy task of bringing his party together and rallying across the ethnic and religious divisions that are fracturing the country.
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With our correspondent in Lagos
,
Liza Fabbian
As early as January 2022, giant portraits of Bola Tinubu invaded downtown Lagos, where he was governor from 1999 to 2007, as if to proclaim
his upcoming victory in the APC primary
.
At the beginning of June, Bola Tinubu even claimed that it was his “turn” to come to power.
Throughout the campaign, he also did not hesitate to claim his status as a "kingmaker", recalling his role in the political career of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and going so far as to publicly boast of having elected
Muhammadu Buhari
in 2015 then in 2019.
A tour de force which established his reputation as a brilliant strategist and connoisseur of Nigerian political life.
"
He has the network and the money on his side
," said analyst Dami Adebayor.
Bola Tinubu does indeed have an immense fortune, with shares in many companies, from media to aviation, including hotels and real estate.
Controversial figure, accused of corruption but still cleared, Bola Tinubu is considered a visionary by his supporters.
The head of the history department at the University of Ibadan, Olutayo Adesina, even asserts that “
to manipulate society as he does, one must first, one must first fully understand the workings of society
.
»
Maintain influence in the North
Moreover, Bola Tinubu wanted to be a unifier after winning the APC primary.
"
Those who did not support me, you have nothing to fear, we must now unite to defeat the People's Democratic Party (PDP)
", he said while receiving the flag of victory from the hands of the President Muhammadu Buhari.
In the months to come, Bola Tinubu will in particular have to make sure to maintain the influence of the APC in the north of Nigeria, which represents a very large pool of votes.
Muslim, originally from the south-west of the country, Bola Tinubu should in principle choose a Christian running mate from the north.
But there are few experienced politicians who meet these criteria and the APC candidate could finally resolve to make an alliance with another Muslim so as not to leave the field open to
Atiku Abubakar.
The People's Democratic Party standard bearer is a Muslim from the North, and should have no trouble finding a Christian running mate from the South.
Beyond these electoral maneuvers, Bola Tinubu, 70, will have to ensure that he maintains a link with young people, in a country where 60% of the population is under 25 years old.
Insecurity will also be a strong theme in the presidential campaign, as the cruelly recalled
massacre of 22 people in a Catholic church
, on the eve of the APC primary.
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Nigeria
Muhammadu Buhari