Battle for the Soul of Nigeria

The end of the oil-fuelled patronage system may pose the greatest threat to the nation since the Civil War. Therein may lie its salvation. Nigeria's elections on 25th February will not only be critical to the future of Nigeria, but also to that of the continent, and to an extent the world. It will be taken as a sign of whether democracy is advancing or retreating. As Africa's biggest democracy with some 93 million potential voters - even if turnout has hitherto been well under 50% - Nigeria will be seen as a weathervane for the world at large, writes Nick Westcott for African Arguments.

With a high unemployment rate, worsening poverty level, escalating insecurity, and rising debt burden fuelling dismay in Nigeria, citizens want a credible and competent leader that can tackle these problems, especially insecurity head-on.

Westcott adds that "this election marks an inflection point for Nigeria: the possible beginning of fundamental change, or a step closer to disintegration. Democratic revolutions rarely happen overnight. They take hard graft and long years of campaigning. A growing number of Nigerian citizens want to change the way politics is done and seem willing to persevere. Whatever the outcome of this election, that is a good thing. Whoever is elected will have to recognise that politics is changing. Ruling in the same old way will no longer work: it risks accelerating the country's disintegration, spreading violence and deepening corruption, with Nigeria becoming the first country in Africa effectively to eat itself."

Eighteen presidential candidates will participate in Nigeria's polls. The new president will be sworn in on 29 May and will be constitutionally mandated to manage Nigeria's security governance architecture between 2023 and 2027.