idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Voters in Nigeria, over 90 million in number, are expected to turn out in force in the high-stakes 25 February presidential polls as incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari completes his constitutionally defined two-term limit in office. For the first time since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999, observers expect a three-way presidential race. Bola Tinubu, the controversial former governor of Lagos state, from the ruling All Progressives Congress will compete with the federalist former vice president Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and charismatic Peter Obi of the Labour Party, the latter of whom is especially popular among the country’s over 12 million first-time youth voters. Without a sitting president able to capitalise on incumbency advantage running, the political atmosphere is highly tense and the chances of a tight race high.
The growing popular distrust in political institutions, deep ethnoreligious cleavages, as well as a highly partisan traditional media could undermine the legitimacy of the elections and escalate social unrest in several volatile parts of the country. The chronic Islamist insurgency in the northeast along with the upsurge in organised crime and secessionist activities in the south could all be flamed by social media abuse and disinformation around voting day.
While the 2023 presidential polls in Nigeria – Africa’s powerhouse – could bolster its democracy, they could also set the country on the path of electoral disputation, unrest, and democratic backsliding if digital disinformation and misinformation are allowed to fester.
This event will feature a preliminary analysis of the electoral results. Three eminent experts from Nigeria and West Africa will discuss the latter and outline their implications for both the future of Nigeria and politics in the subregion.
Speakers:
Dr. Sa'eed Husaini is a Junior Fellow at the Maria Sibylla Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa at the University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Prof. Dr. Lynda Iroulo is an Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, Qatar.
Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Development Studies of the University of Nigeria.
Moderation:
Dr. Martin Acheampong is a Research Fellow at the GIGA Institute for African Affairs.
Information on participating / attending:
Please register. All registered participants will receive further information with details of the online event and a link to participate.
Date:
03/09/2023 16:00 - 03/09/2023 18:00
Event venue:
Online
Hamburg
Hamburg
Germany
Target group:
all interested persons
Relevance:
international
Subject areas:
Politics
Types of events:
Seminar / workshop / discussion
Entry:
02/23/2023
Sender/author:
Verena Schweiger
Department:
Fachabteilung Kommunikation
Event is free:
yes
Language of the text:
English
URL of this event: http://idw-online.de/en/event73666
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