Nigeria's Opposition Split as Tinubu Seeks Re-election

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is widely viewed as the front runner for the January 16 election, despite economic hardships and an Islamist insurgency, because the opposition is fragmented. Peter Obi, who finished second in the 2023 ballot, was ratified on Saturday as the Nigeria Democratic Congress party candidate. He will face Tinubu and former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, the African Democratic Congress flag-bearer, in his seventh presidential run. Obi and Abubakar together won 54% of the vote in 2023 versus Tinubu's 36%. Obi, 64, appeals to urban and younger voters with a platform of poverty reduction, institutional reform, youth empowerment, and agricultural revival. He named Rabiu Kwankwaso, fourth-place finisher in 2023, as his running mate to boost support in Kano state.