Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, will be heading to the polls on February 25 for the seventh time in 24 years of uninterrupted democratization. Yet the upcoming presidential election is taking place amid deep economic hardship, record unemployment and inflation, persistent fuel shortages, the repression of civic spaces and worsening security conditions, particularly for the country’s youth. The hugely consequential outcome will determine the country’s demographic and democratic futures.
Whoever wins Nigeria’s election faces a crisis of inclusion
Africa’s biggest democracy is at a fork in the road after successive politicians have increasingly failed its young electorate, writes Leena Koni Hoffmann.
The World Today
Published 3 February 2023
Updated 2 February 2023 — 4 minute READ
Image — A street vendor wears glasses in the colours of the Labour Party during a campaign rally ahead of the 2023 Nigerian presidential election. Photo: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP via Getty Images.
