#NigeriaDecides2023 – An Explainer

On Saturday, February 25 2023, the final whistle will be blown for electorates in Nigeria to determine the fate of 18 candidates campaigning for the top job; the presidency. Interestingly, opinion polls project three of the presidential aspirants to have a higher chance of attaining success in the elections. These 3 are Bola Ahmed Tinubu, 70, flagbearer of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Atiku Abubakar ,76, leader of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and finally, Mr. Peter Obi, 61, who is hoping to break up the two-party system which has dominated Nigeria since the end of military rule in 1999 and is running on the less known Labor Party.

Whoever wins the 2023 election among these candidates will have an uphill task at hand - to turn the fear of economic collapse into good fortunes for the country.

Per the electoral laws of Nigeria, to be declared as the winner, a candidate has to obtain the highest number of votes nationwide, and more than a quarter ballot cast in at least 2/3 of Nigeria’s states. However, provided none of the candidates is able to obtain the required number of votes, there will be a second round, or a runoff within 21 days between the two leading candidates.

So far, candidates have been framing their campaign messages around issues of reducing insecurity, the economy, as well as the high level of unemployment in the country.

On matters relating to having free and fair elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission says the use of new technology will help ensure that ballots are secure and are not marred by fraud or rigging.

As part of measures to stop election fraud this year, the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has been introduced. The BVAS is basically a rectangular box screen that is more technologically advanced than the Smart Card Readers Used in the past.

Aside the presidential vote, the public will also be choosing their representatives for parliament - the National Assembly.

There are 469 legislators made up of 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives.

Two weeks later on 11 March there will also be elections to choose governors for 28 out of Nigeria's 36 states.

In order for one to exercise his or her franchise on February 25, one must possess a valid identity card that shows that one is registered to vote.