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Nigeria: Bola Tinubu nominated the candidate of the ruling party, APC



Nigerian ruling party, the APC, has chosen its candidate for the 2023 presidential election - Bola Tinubu. The former governor of Lagos won the primary elections organized in the capital with 1,271 votes out of the 2,300 ballots.


Nicknamed "the Godfather" or even "the boss" (Asiwaju) for his immense influence in the country, Bola Tinubu faced 23 candidates, including the current vice-president Yemi Osinbajo. The APC candidate for the 2023 presidential election is also known to be a fine strategist. He is the shadow man behind the political appointments, "a kingmaker," some say. Bola Tinubu even boasted of being behind President Buhari's election in 2015 and 2019.


The wealthy 70-year-old Muslim is also an ardent defender of democracy. Exiled in the 1990s, he rose through the ranks upon his return. As a senator and then governor of Lagos, his political career was marked by numerous accusations of corruption without ever being convicted.


The APC is not the only party to have chosen its candidate. The main opposition political party, the PDP, has also chosen its candidate: Atiku Abubakar, the former vice-president and wealthy businessman from the North, running for the sixth time in 30 years.


The candidates of the two main Nigerian parties are both in their seventies and Muslims. While more than half of the population is under 25 years old, the challenge is whether they will be able to meet the expectations of young people.


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