The next President of Nigeria

The future of Nigeria is normally influenced by the type of leaders they elect during a Presidential election. According to recent statistical reports, there are more young voters in Nigeria than old ones and so the next President of the country is most likely going to be decided by young Nigerians.

In Nigeria and as at 2018, the constitution requires that elections should be held for every 4 years and this has been normally conducted by the Independent National Election Commission a.k.a. I.N.E.C. The 4 years duration is also the length of time it takes for the tenure of an elected President to expire.

When it comes to electing a President, Nigerians normally elect a president based on who they believe that would offer them the best service after they get into office. The winner of a Presidential election is mostly decided by a majority of Nigerians such that the winner must have secured the most popular votes and have got at least 25% of votes in at least 2/3 of the 36 states of the country. Who becomes the next president of Nigeria? Only time will tell as it mostly depends on how people vote during the Presidential election which holds periodically as long as democracy is still the preferred and reigning form of government for the country.

Nigeria is a country which has a huge population of over 150 million people with over 100 languages being spoken by indigenous tribes. However, when it comes to the number 1 position, power has been mostly rotated between the 3 major tribes of the country which are the Igbos, the Hausas/Fulanis and the Yorubas. Also, religion has also been a major factor for winning an election in Nigeria as supporters tend to vote along religious and ethnic lines during a Presidential election.

The Igbos are mostly Christians who live mostly in the Southern part of the country particularly the South East. The Yorubas are mixed in terms of religion as some are Muslims while others are Christians. They also live mostly in the Southern part of the country but more specifically the South west while the Hausas/Fulanis live mostly in the Northern part of the country. The middle belt and center states in Nigeria are mostly inhabited by many other tribes who are either Muslims or Christians and also have their indigenous affiliations. During Presidential elections, Nigerians tend to vote people that share similar religious and ethnic roots as they do but a candidate normally needs votes across ethnic divides and so normally enters and alliance.

It is normally hard or almost impossible to win a Presidential election in Nigeria without the support of at least the 2 major ethnic groups such as the Igbos and Yorubas or Yorubas and Hausas etc. Since elections are not just based on popular votes because of the ethnic diversity of the country, the constitution requires that a Presidential candidate should at least have some supporters across most states of Nigeria before resuming office in the capital city. It is possible that a candidate who doesn’t get into any ethic alliance to win majority of votes in an ethnic region but not have much support in other states of the country. For instance, a Hausa/Fulani candidate may win the most votes in Northern Nigeria but loses many other state of the country such as middle belt and Southern Nigeria. It is also possible that a Yoruba or Igbo vote may win the most votes in the country but such votes would only be concentrated mostly in the Southern part of the country while the North will not give him much support. That sort of situation may lead to disunity in the country with states outside the President’s political influence attempting to break away or feel isolated from power. So, for the sake of unity, the constitution requires that a winning Presidential candidate should at least have a minimum number of votes before becoming the next President of Nigeria and I think this is a good thing.

When voting for a President, a patriotic Nigerian should not vote a candidate because he has received cash or other gifts but vote someone he can trust to protect and further his interests. He should vote for someone that will help move the nation forward and not backward. He should vote for someone who actually believes in a united Nigeria irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations. He should look at the track record of the person and listen to their election speeches. It can be so easy to decide who to vote for after listening to them talk. At times, it’s better to vote for a person from a different political party if the ruling party has been failing the nation or moving it backwards. At times, change is necessary and at times, it’s better to just allow continuity.

The next President of Nigeria should be someone who can help Nigerians move forward and achieve greater things. It should be one who can help us secure a better future and one who believes in justice and rule of law. It should be someone who doesn’t make the wrong decisions or use excessive power such as disobeying court decisions. It should not be someone who uses executive power to harass his political opponents.

The next President of Nigeria should be a President who doesn’t make Nigerians suffer more than they are already suffering. It should not be someone who makes laws that are people friendly. It should be a President that says what he means and means that he says.

The next President of Nigeria should be a patriotic Nigerian who can give the best service to our nation.