As Campaigns Begin in Nigeria, Tinubu’s Re-election Bid Puts His Party on Trial

By Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Camillus Eboh of Reuters

As campaigning for January’s elections begins on Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu’s pitch for a second term faces a politically fraught question: are Nigerians better off after more than a decade of rule by his All Progressives Congress?

The answer could shape the presidential contest against former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, who have built their appeal on widespread frustration over economic hardship and insecurity.

The main challengers argue the APC’s nearly 12 years in power have left Africa’s most populous country poorer, more indebted and no safer than when the party swept into office in 2015, then under the leadership of Muhammadu Buhari.

NEARLY 80% SAY NIGERIA HEADING IN WRONG DIRECTION