One seat for three: Yesterday in Nigeria, Africa’s shaky giant, 93 million voters (out of a population of 220 million, of whom 100 million are poor and half are under the age of 18) were called upon to elect the new president after eight long years in command of the useless Muhammadu Buhari.
The son of the elementary school teacher
Among the contenders of the two parties that have been fighting for the presidency since 1999, an outsider has emerged for the first time who has managed to shake up the disaffected young public (half of the voters are under 30): Peter Obi is “only” 61 years old old. A billionaire with a philosophy degree who brags about having an elementary school teacher’s son and only 2 pairs of shoes in his closet.
chaos in the elections
As always, voting was an exercise in almost quiet chaos: many of the 180,000 polling stations opened in the afternoon (after the theoretical closing time), voters queued late into the evening: there were no ballot papers, many tellers struggled to pay for public transport as the currency crisis made it difficult country is recorded, old banknotes are no longer used and new ones are scarce). As always, it was to be a match between two dinosaurs of power: Bola Tinubu, 70, former governor (nicknamed “the Godfather”) of Lagos, candidate of the ruling party (All Progressives Congress) and challenger of the main opposition group (People’s Democratic Party) Atiku Abubakar, 76 years old, 4 wives and 28 children. It was supposed to be the usual story of usual Nigeria: a fight between two cliques represented by two very rich old politicians who were often accused (and never convicted) of corruption, two foxes who made their money from oil (of which Nigeria is the first is seedy producer in Africa) and with the public-private deals or scams that typify the Abuja ruling class. Familiar faces of two Muslim personalities: Abubakar in his sixth attempt at the presidency (the first in 1992), the favorite Tinibu with a program and attitude «à la Buhari» (security, economic growth) and a personalized cap (two broken chain rings), the only notable thing about his optional luggage.
The frugal billionaire
Peter Obi, the third wheel, featured luggage as frugal as his reputation: a billionaire with a philosophy degree who made his fortune importing deals (from beans to champagne), campaigning without a bag hanger and lugging his suitcase. Obi proudly says he prefers the $200 suits to the $4,000 suits others wear. After four years as governor of the state of Anambra in the southeast, he hasn’t gotten the coffers in trouble (no small feat, and not just in Nigeria). Obi is the proud father of two sons, one of whom is an elementary school teacher (rare in wealthy families). In the past few months, he’s been able to spark hope for a growing following, especially among the youth of the cities (who call themselves OBIdients). As a Christian of the Igbo ethnic group, he urged people “not to vote on ethnic or religious lines. It’s the ability that counts.”
The Hope of Chimamanda
The writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is enthusiastic about him. “Never in our history has there been such a beautiful glimmer of hope.” Polls are unreliable. A vote between the first classified is possible. Within five days, we’ll know if the billionaire with two pairs of shoes continues his journey.