The Challenges For Nigeria's 2023 Presidential Candidates

The electioneering season in Nigeria has become an orchestra of deception, as electoral promises are never kept. The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) said the 2023 elections will be the most challenging to conduct in Nigeria, saying the raging insecurity, preparedness of the electoral body, and conduct of presidential candidates will shape the outcome of the polls.

The 2023 general election will feature 18 candidates, with four main contenders: Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of Labour Party (LP), and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Rampant insecurity, chronic unemployment, and a worsening economic outlook are among the issues the candidates are expected to address. Insecurity has worsened as Boko Haram militants tightened its grip since 2009 - particularly in the north-east of the country where Borno State, Yobe State and Adamawa State has come under increasing attack.

The emergence of the Islamic State's West African Province (ISWAP) within the ranks of the extremists has compounded the national security woes. Villages have been wiped out; armies of widows and orphans have risen, students have been kidnapped, and over 1.9 million people have been internally displaced  - constituting a humanitarian tragedy, Premium Times reports.