2023 Elections: Nigeria’s Youths Have Propelled Peter Obi, Says Washington Post
- Peter Obi’s rave reviews in international publications have continued even as its a few hours before the presidential election
- The Labour Party's presidential candidate has gotten the attention of global media through his youth-centred campaign
- Obi’s Labour Party is now seen as the third force in Nigeria’s politics, fighting to dislodge the two main political parties
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FCT, Abuja - Washington Post reports that Nigeria’s youths have propelled a third-party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, to the top of many polls ahead of the presidential election.
The American daily newspaper noted that although Obi faces long odds as a political outsider with relatively little cash and little base in northern Nigeria, his rise demonstrates the power of young people and the depth of their frustration.
Source: Twitter
Alexandra Maduagwu, 27, who plans to vote for Obi, told the newspaper:
“Everything is hanging on this election. People are at their limits right now. Their only saving grace is that when the election comes, they know things are going to change. We just don’t know if it’s for better or for worse.”
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His friends at a skate park by the beach in Lagos also said they were voting for Obi or not voting at all.
Derin Ogala, a 23-year-old DJ featured in the report, said she’d support Obi partly because Tinubu and Abubakar were around when her dad was a kid.
Her words:
“These politicians are playing with our lives. In the next 30 years, we’ll be here dealing with the consequences of their actions.”
She pointed to the government’s recent decision to remove old banknotes from circulation and issue new ones, leading to dire cash shortages.
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2023 elections: Experts speak on Peter Obi’s chances
Adewunmi Emoruwa, the lead strategist at Gatefield, a public strategy firm in Abuja, said Obi’s support stems partly from protests in 2020 when youths nationwide rallied against police brutality, demonstrating the power of mass mobilisation.
He said that although support for Obi cuts across geographic and ethnic lines, it is generally most substantial among urban, educated Nigerians.
On his part, Jim Kaketch, a political scientist with the Partnership for African Social Governance Research, said Obi has succeeded in presenting campaign information in a way that appeals to young people, who have made him a social media phenomenon.
BBC says interest in Nigeria’s 2023 elections has been spurred by Peter Obi
Similarly, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has stated that Obi has spurred interest in Nigeria’s 2023 elections.
According to the BBC, young Nigerians have turned the forthcoming presidential election into the most competitive since the end of military rule in 1999.
The world’s leading public service broadcaster also stated that many young Nigerians are backing Obi to take on the country’s two main political parties and bring change after years of stagnation, corruption and insecurity.
2023 elections: "Peter Obi has disrupted a two-horse race," says Financial Times
In its report, Financial Times, the world’s leading global business publication, says Obi has disrupted a traditional two-horse race in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
The British daily business newspaper described the Labour Party presidential candidate as a relative political newcomer who has electrified young voters in the country. Ads by Peter Obi are popular among young voters in Nigeria.
The international media outfit also stated that Obi has rattled his rivals and made the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election much more complicated to predict.
2023 elections: “Peter Obi is not the ‘typical ‘African Big Man’ leader,” CNN says
Earlier, the Cable News Network (CNN) described Obi as “not the typical African Big Man” leader.
The international news channel based in Atlanta, Georgia, said that Obi is acknowledged as a reliable alternative to the two major candidates in the forthcoming presidential election.
CNN also noted that Obi is famed for his frugal approach and is seen as a ‘Mr Clean’ of Nigerian politics.
Source: Legit.ng
