- The start date for the 2023 presidential elections is set for February 25.
- Armed men mounted the walls early this month, got past the barbed wire.
- Peter Obi is one of the front-runners, and some voters in the area are now prepared to believe in change.
The majority of the Ojoto, southeast Nigeria, election office’s physical remains are ashes and scorched metal. The roof of the building was destroyed, and holes gaped in the still-standing walls. The start date for the 2023 presidential elections is set for February 25.
Armed men mounted the walls early this month, got past the barbed wire, and then threw Molotov cocktails through the windows. The structure was almost completely destroyed when a gas canister exploded.
As Nigerians get ready for February 25, similar attacks have been carried out elsewhere in the southeast of the continent’s most populous nation.
Million people died in a civil war that lasted from 1967 to 1970 in the region after ethnic Igbo army leaders declared independence for a Biafra Republic.
After years of underinvestment, many people in southeast Nigeria feel cut off from the federal government in Abuja.
The Igbo people, one of Nigeria’s three major ethnic groups along with the Hausa in the north and the Yoruba in the southwest, have a majority in the region, which has fueled radical sentiments regarding independence.
President Muhammadu Buhari is leaving office after two terms marked by rising poverty and insecurity, but now, for the first time in Nigeria’s democratic history, a surprise candidate from the southeast has a shot in the campaign.
Peter Obi, the former governor of Anambra State, is one of the front-runners, and some voters in the area are now prepared to believe in change.
Speaking at the Eke Awgbu market in Anambra, Azuka Ibeka declared she will support Obi. “I personally witnessed the job he accomplished while serving as governor. In addition, he shares our Igbo ethnicity.”
The 42-year-old woman said, frustrated by recent cash shortages: “I won’t pay attention to the promises of those who simply speak orally. I’ll cast my vote with my eyes.”
“Most capable”
No Igbo has been elected president of Nigeria since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, which has exacerbated the feeling of exclusion in the Igbo community.
Rich trader and ardent Christian Obi claims he is running as the representative of all Nigerians, not only as an Igbo contender.
The 61-year-old, who is known for his integrity, positions himself as a countermodel to his two main competitors, ageing establishment figures who are accused of corruption.
Chigozie Okoye, a 28-year-old fashion designer, stated, “We don’t vote for Obi merely because he is an Igbo, but because he is a wonderful person and the most capable one.”
“The others are unable to guide us. How can a guy in his 70s lead us? Someone who is incredibly effervescent and energised is what we need.”
Bola Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, is a candidate for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president, is a candidate for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Obi has amassed a sizable social media fan base and connected with a lot of young Nigerians who are eager for change.
Disillusionment
Previous elections in Nigeria have been characterised by violence, vote-buying, delays, and campaigns that emphasised tribal allegiances.
Obi can be seen grinning on campaign posters in his home state that are shown in cities and rural areas.
Yet it’s far from certain that he will prevail. He lives in the southeast, which has always been a PDP stronghold.
“It’s an issue these days to drink before eating. Godwin Henry, 28, who works unloading trucks for a living, stated, “We are exhausted, and things are horrible. I’ll vote for Atiku “.
“The bulk of voters will select Atiku. He has the experience, and the time has come. Things are about to alter. Everything will be better with him around.”
The attendance rate in the southeast is still a significant uncertainty given the unrest and separatist tendencies in the region. Even nationwide, turnout in 2019 was just about 35%.
In the past two years, armed groups have attacked police officers, government facilities, and Independent National Electoral Commission headquarters.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), a banned separatist organisation that campaigns for an independent Igbo state, has been held responsible for the majority of those attacks.
IPOB has always refuted claims that the Eastern Security Network, its armed wing, is responsible for the bloodshed.
It is unclear what percentage of the populace will abstain from voting due to conviction or intimidation, even if the movement does not call for a boycott.
Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for the state police, urged “people to come out and vote securely,” assuring a significant police presence.
According to numerous polls, which are common in Nigeria but are frequently unreliable, Obi will win.
According to the Nigerian political research organisation SBM Intelligence, his defeat will stoke the “fire” of IPOB followers and increase youth disillusionment.
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