- Nineteen prisoners use cutlery to break out of cells at Winchester prison
- France wants progress in Ukraine before Russia returns to G7
- Italy president begins talks to seek way out of government crisis
- Italian PM expected to resign as political chaos deepens
- Russia says US cruise missile test ‘regrettable’
- Kremlin - No date set for Normandy talks on Ukraine despite Macron meeting
- Egypt court hands out 6 death sentences on terror charges
- Putin says Russian nuclear explosion poses no threat
- Russian panel eyes alleged foreign interference in protests
- Gran Canaria wildfire triggers evacuation of thousands of people
- PM Johnson calls on Germany and France to compromise on Brexit
- Sudan's ex-president Bashir arrives at corruption trial
TEHRAN, October 06 - Nigeria’s main opposition party, which this weekend selects its candidate to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari in an election in February, is aiming to make his northweste
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) -Nigeria’s main opposition party, which this weekend selects its candidate to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari in an election in February, is aiming to make his northwestern power base a main battleground in the contest.
To do so, however, it needs to secure the backing of powerful figures in the northwest and to ensure the party does not fracture over its choice of candidate, analysts said.
Many of the 12 candidates for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) nomination defected from Buhari’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in recent months.
Seven have ties with states in the northwest, mostly as current or past governors, bolstering the party in a traditional Buhari stronghold.
At stake in the primary election is the chance to face him in a presidential contest which will determine who controls a country that is Africa’s top oil producer, has one of the continent’s biggest economies, and plays a key role in regional wars against Islamist insurgents.
The northwest, the most densely populated region in the country of 190 million people, is shaping up to take center stage in the race.
“In past elections, Buhari got almost half of his vote from the northwest and the region will be even more important this time,” said Malte Liewerscheidt, West Africa analyst at Teneo Intelligence.
“A lot of people from other regions who voted for Buhari first-time in 2015 are likely to turn their back on him.”
The region is traditionally the center of the Muslim voter base as Nigeria’s three most senior Islamic leaders - the sultan of Sokoto, the emir of Kano and the emir of Gwando - are based there.
Source: Reuters
Your Comment