Feature Nigeria


Many Nigerians are hoping that whoever wins the April elections, it will not be business as usual in the country. On paper, the incumbent president, Jonathan Goodluck appears to be the strongest candidate. If he wins on his own merit (he came to power last year after the death of his boss, President Umaru Yar’Adua), it will mean a major shift of Nigeria’s power centre towards the minorities. Ben Asante reports.


Election 2011 A new era in Nigeria?


T


here are signs that Nigeria’s power centre may shift with the entry into this year’s presiden- tial race of a leading candidate in the form of the incumbent


president Goodluck Jonathan, who comes from the minority South-South zone away from the traditional and long predominant power centres of the majorities of the East, West and North. To be precise, Nigerians may have ar-


rived at the point where the place of origin of a candidate does not matter; rather, competence, performance and personal ap- peal may be the factors that count in who occupies the highest office (or offices) in the land. And that might be the situation when the nation goes to the polls – start- ing with legislative elections on 2 April, presidential on 9 April, and gubernatorial on 16 April (that is, if the electoral com- mission does not change its mind, which at the time of going to press it had not done). On whichever date the presidential elec-


38 | April 2011 New African


Goodluck Jonathan’s supporters were out in force, making sure his message reached voters


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92