Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan. Picture: REUTERS/SIPHIWE SIBEKO
ABUJA — A military ruler from the 1980s and a former vice-president, with five failed runs at the presidency between them, want the opposition to give them another chance to be elected head of state in Nigeria.
Septuagenarian Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power after an army coup in 1983, and Atiku Abubakar, an eight-year deputy to Olusegun Obasanjo, both northern Muslims, are the first men to enter the race for the All Progressives Congress’ nomination in February’s presidential vote. They are bidding to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian who has ruled Nigeria since 2010.
The re-emergence of two old stagers as contenders to unseat the ruling party after it has governed for a decade-and-a-half highlights the primacy of personality rather than ideas in the politics of Africa’s most populous nation, said a legislator.
"Politics is not issue driven, it’s driven by ethnicity and religion, which has not given space for people to see the value in issues or capacity," Bukola Saraki, the senator for Kwara state, said from Abuja on Monday. He said that, spurred on by youth groups, he had been preparing a bid for the APC’s presidential nomination — a move he had ditched the previous day. A "reset" of politics was required, he said.
The networks of allegiance and favouritism, along with the money required to build support bases among the population of 170-million people in Africa’s biggest oil producer, tend to act as barriers to the emergence of new figures.
"It’s not at all surprising that APC candidates would be, to some extent, from the old guard, as anyone without an intimate knowledge of the way Nigeria’s patronage politics works — from either holding power or being close to the summit — has no chance of succeeding," said IHS Country Risk senior analyst for sub-Saharan Africa Martin Roberts.
Jonathan, who has not said whether he will stand next year, won the 2011 election. His political base, the People’s Democratic Party, has been in charge since the army handed over power to civilians in 1999. Mr Abubakar, who was vice-president as a PDP man, defected to the APC in February.
Mr Buhari officially declared his candidacy for the APC’s nomination on Thursday at an rally in Abuja.
"The strength of the APC’s challenge will depend on the ability of the party to unite behind either former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari or former vice-president Atiku Abubakar after its nominee is chosen in December 2014," a report by UK-based risk consultancy Maplecroft said earlier this month.
Mr Abubakar said before his rival’s official declaration that he welcomed Mr Buhari joining the race. "I look forward to meeting him in an open, free and fair contest for the ticket," he said.
Septuagenarian Muhammadu Buhari, who came to power after an army coup in 1983, and Atiku Abubakar, an eight-year deputy to Olusegun Obasanjo, both northern Muslims, are the first men to enter the race for the All Progressives Congress’ nomination in February’s presidential vote. They are bidding to challenge President Goodluck Jonathan, a southern Christian who has ruled Nigeria since 2010.
The re-emergence of two old stagers as contenders to unseat the ruling party after it has governed for a decade-and-a-half highlights the primacy of personality rather than ideas in the politics of Africa’s most populous nation, said a legislator.
"Politics is not issue driven, it’s driven by ethnicity and religion, which has not given space for people to see the value in issues or capacity," Bukola Saraki, the senator for Kwara state, said from Abuja on Monday. He said that, spurred on by youth groups, he had been preparing a bid for the APC’s presidential nomination — a move he had ditched the previous day. A "reset" of politics was required, he said.
The networks of allegiance and favouritism, along with the money required to build support bases among the population of 170-million people in Africa’s biggest oil producer, tend to act as barriers to the emergence of new figures.
"It’s not at all surprising that APC candidates would be, to some extent, from the old guard, as anyone without an intimate knowledge of the way Nigeria’s patronage politics works — from either holding power or being close to the summit — has no chance of succeeding," said IHS Country Risk senior analyst for sub-Saharan Africa Martin Roberts.
Jonathan, who has not said whether he will stand next year, won the 2011 election. His political base, the People’s Democratic Party, has been in charge since the army handed over power to civilians in 1999. Mr Abubakar, who was vice-president as a PDP man, defected to the APC in February.
Mr Buhari officially declared his candidacy for the APC’s nomination on Thursday at an rally in Abuja.
"The strength of the APC’s challenge will depend on the ability of the party to unite behind either former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari or former vice-president Atiku Abubakar after its nominee is chosen in December 2014," a report by UK-based risk consultancy Maplecroft said earlier this month.
Mr Abubakar said before his rival’s official declaration that he welcomed Mr Buhari joining the race. "I look forward to meeting him in an open, free and fair contest for the ticket," he said.
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