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President Buhari (left) and his running mate Osinbajo considered an electoral badet
Nigerians will exercise their civic responsibility to elect their president this Saturday, February 16th.
Details released by Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) indicate that 72 people are contesting the presidential post.
Voters for governors and state bademblies will be held on March 2.
INEC President Mahmood Yakubu told the media and other stakeholders in separate forums that there were more than 20,000 candidates competing for office in the 2019 general election. .
Mr. Yakubu said that throughout the history of the elections in Nigeria, this figure was the highest ever recorded.
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Twenty-eight women were also expected to run for office as candidates or candidates.
The leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) party, the current ruling party, Muhammadu Buhari, is seeking re-election. His vice-president is Yemi Osinbajo.
Opposition parties
Opposition parties include the Democratic People's Party (PDP), the Allied Peoples Movement of Nigeria, the African Action Congress; the Progressive Youth Party; the KOWA party and the Alliance for New Nigeria.
The others are the African Democratic Congress and the Party of National Interest, among others.
One of the leading presidential candidates, Oby Ezekwesili, resigned because she said she wanted to form a wider coalition to defeat the two main parties.
The presidential election is held according to a draw vote system.
A candidate needs 50% of the popular national vote to be elected in the first round of voting, as well as more than 25% of the votes in two-thirds of the states.
If no candidate obtains the popular and state vote required in the first round, the two candidates with the most votes face the second round and the simple majority candidate is elected president.
Although 73 political parties will run for election, many political observers in Nigeria see the race as a direct confrontation between President Muhammadu Buhari and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the country's former vice president from 1999 to 2007. Democratic Party.
Boko Haram
These observers mentioned factors likely to lead to Nigerian elections, including the Boko Haram crisis and what is known as restructuring by Nigerians.
They mention the neutrality of key state institutions such as security agencies, the INEC and the Anti-Corruption Commission in the field of Economy and Finance (EFCC). as other driving forces.
Amina Zakari's appointment of INEC, a Buhari parent recently tasked with collecting election results, recently sparked protest from opposition groups.
Although dozens of schoolgirls belonging to a group of nearly 300 people kidnapped by activists have also been reunited with their families, many Chibok girls are still missing.
Recent attacks by a faction of Boko Haram have highlighted the fragility of security gains.
In addition, despite a dramatic drop in kidnappings reported in 2016, the level has since increased, with 310 reported last year.
Violence
Others also pointed out that social and economic inequalities, ethnic and religious divisions and structural weaknesses such as corruption and weak state capacity, persisted throughout Nigeria and contributed to the risk of electoral violence. .
godfathers
There are many rich and powerful personalities known as "godfathers" in many states who have the potential to shape and lead elections, or at least to try to do so.
Political commentators view the influence of these "parent fathers" as a factor that threatens to increase the risk of violence by using their resources to encourage activists who may become, intentionally or unintentionally, overzealous and ultimately violent.
At the same time, those who perceive the role of the so-called "godfathers" as unduly influencing elections may in turn resort to violence in response.
However, there is a general perception that politicians and "godfathers" are the ones who manipulate youth and orchestrate violence.
Mission of the EU
Meanwhile, the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) is already in Nigeria.
Speaking at a press conference at the Hilton Hotel in Abuja last week, Chief Observer Maria Arena said that the EU had always accompanied the electoral processes and rolled out an EOM in Nigeria's general elections since 1999, reflecting its long-term commitment to support and inclusive elections in the country.
Ms. Arena pointed out that the mission was totally independent in its conclusions.
Arena said the upcoming elections were such an opportunity for Nigeria to build on what was achieved in 2015 and further strengthen the country's democracy.
She said that it would act as the sixth EU election observation mission to Nigeria.
Aso Rock
Saturday's election will be crucial in determining which of the 72 "presidents" will occupy the government seat in Abuja, known as Aso Rock.
The Boko Haram attacks, among others, are among the worrying or unresolved issues mentioned by some and are of the opinion that this could harm President Buhari's chances of winning a second term.
There are also many who tell the "good old days" of the early 2000s, when the Atiku candidate was vice president of President Olusegun Obasanjo, as a benefit to Atiku.
With 72 candidates on the ballot and the process of electing a president, as listed above, it is unlikely that polling results will be known in just a few days.
In any event, Nigerians and other Africans are anxiously awaiting Saturday's election result.
It is our expectation that the elections take place freely and without any form of violence.
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