Politics

Nigerians go to poll to vote for new President, National Assembly members

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2023

Eligible voters in Nigeria, on Saturday, February 25, have gone to the polls to elect a new president who will pilot the affairs of the nation for the next four years, as well as members of the two chambers of the National Assembly.

The presidential election will remain, perhaps, the most significant election in the history of the country as voters decide who, among the 18 presidential candidates, will succeed the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

Nigerians across the 774 local government areas in the 36 states of the country, plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), will have the task of electing the country’s leaders in the elections.

This election will, for many Nigerians, either put an end to Buhari’s eight years of rudderless leadership, unemployment, poverty, economic woes, insecurity, banditry, criminality, fear and terrorism, or become a continuum of the same old pot.

Though the electioneering campaigns have largely been narrowed down to four main contestants in the persons of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), former vice president Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) and to some extent, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), there a plethora of other candidates to choose from.

Other presidential candidates, as released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to battle for the pie include Imumolen Christopher of Accord Party (AP), Al-Mustapha Hamza, Action Alliance (AA), Sowore Omoyele, African Action Congress (AAC), Kachikwu Dumebi, African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Sani Yabagi Yusuf of the Action Democratic Party (ADP).

Others are Umeadi Peter Nnanna, of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Princess Ojei Chichi, Allied People’s Movement (APM), Nnamdi Charles Osita, Action Peoples Party (APP), Adenuga Sunday Oluwafemi, Boot Party (BP), Osakwe Felix Johnson, National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Others contestants are Abiola Latifu Kolawole of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Adebayo Adewole Ebenezer, Social Democratic Party (SDP), Ado-Ibrahim Abdumalik, Young Progressives Party (YPP) as well as Nwanyanwu Daniel Daberechukwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The stakes are quite higher than any previous election in Nigeria’s recent democratic history with a record number of registered voters put at 93.5 million. The awareness has been massive as a dominant demographic has shown that put of the registered voters, a whopping 48 million of them are the youths.

The intensity of the campaigns have also not been lost as the dominant candidates have been up and doing, trying to see who will play a better game of putting down the other all in a bid to woo the electorates.

President Buhari had, in many of his address to the nation, insisted on creating a level playing field for this election and one of his leveller was the much criticised Naira redesigned policy which, according to him, was to take away the vexatious burden of vote buying by politicians.

“This is a positive departure from the past and represents a bold legacy step by this administration, towards laying a strong foundation for free and fair elections,” Buhari had said in one of his broadcasts.

He had also sounded it clear that Nigerians should feel free to vote for any candidate of their choice.

Indeed, the 2023 general elections will either make or mar the existential of the nation, Nigeria.

Related Topics:Featured Nigeria Polls Presidential Election

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Politics

Botswana’s new president wants swift resolution of De Beers diamond deal

Published

3 days ago

November 2, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Duma Boko, the recently elected president of Botswana, stated on Friday that he hoped to wrap up negotiations for a new sales agreement with the multinational diamond mining conglomerate, De Beers, as quickly as possible.

“The relationship with De Beers could have been damaged by the way the negotiations were handled,” President Boko said in a televised statement from Gaborone, Botswana’s capital. “The first thing that needs to be done is to engage the other party”.

The government’s portion of diamonds from the Debswana joint venture will progressively rise to 50% over the following ten years, according to a new diamond sales agreement reached last year by De Beers, a division of Anglo American.

Currently, De Beers purchases 75% of the production from Debswana Diamond Company, which is jointly controlled by Botswana and De Beers.

The agreement has not yet been signed, even though the Botswana government and the departing president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, praised its benefits Beers was “thinking about walking away, not signing at all… (a) very dangerous position to be in as a country,” according to Boko.

According to Boko, his new government wishes to communicate with De Beers to comprehend its issues.

“A proper negotiation involves compromise, where you get a bit of what you wanted, the other person gets a bit,” Boko said. “Then…you have a durable, sustainable agreement.”

As part of a larger reorganisation of its extensive operations, Anglo is developing a strategy to sell out De Beers. In July, Masisi stated that the Botswana government might increase its 15% stake in De Beers.A decline in worldwide demand has severely impacted diamond prices, just like it has for other luxury items. De Beers has been providing contracted clients with flexibility and limiting supply.

Politics

President Maisi concedes as Botswana’s ruling party loses 58-year reign

Published

4 days ago

November 1, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Following preliminary results showing his party lost its legislative majority by a landslide in this week’s election, Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, announced his party’s defeat on Friday, ending nearly 60 years in power.

The opposition coalition, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), held a sizable lead with over half of the constituencies reporting, placing its leader, attorney Duma Boko, in a strong position to win the presidency.

According to analysts, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), which has controlled the small southern African nation since gaining independence from Britain in 1966, was overthrown by growing socioeconomic dissatisfaction, especially among young people.

Botswana has always relied heavily on its diamond industry for revenue, but this year’s economic growth was severely hampered by a decline in the world diamond market, and unemployment increased to 28%.

According to results from 41 of the 61 constituencies up for election, the UDC had gained 26 seats in parliament, while the BDP had only three, according to state television. The president is chosen by the members of parliament.

Boko, who hasn’t made any public statements since the outcome, ran on a platform of increasing social grants and the minimum wage.

“Although I wanted to stay on as your president, I respect the will of the people and I congratulate the president-elect. I will step aside and I will support the new administration,” Masisi said at a press conference.

Small groups of supporters of the opposition celebrated in the streets of Gaborone, the capital, on Friday morning, which was peaceful.

“I did not ever think I would witness this change in my life,” said 23-year-old student Mpho Mogorosi. “The BDP had stayed too long in power and I am proud to be part of the people that removed them for a better Botswana.”

After South Africa’s African National Congress lost its legislative majority after 30 years in power and was compelled to form a coalition government, the BDP became the second long-ruling party in southern Africa to lose at the polls this year.

Later this month, elections will be held in neighbouring Namibia, where the SWAPO party, which has ruled since 1990, is anticipated to face fierce opposition.

“The outcome of Botswana’s elections should serve as a warning to long-time ruling parties across southern Africa and beyond that without economic progress and employment opportunities, political dominance will falter,” said Zaynab Hoosen, an Africa analyst at Pangea-Risk.