At least 35 presidential hopefuls have joined the race to succeed Muhammadu Buhari, who is set to step down in February 2023. DW looks at some of the main contenders to lead the West African country.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has formally declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential electionImage: Office of Yemi Osinbajo
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The race to succeed Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023 is underway, as top contenders make public their intentions to lead the country.
Among those in the running is Buhari's own vice president, Oluyemi "Yemi" Osinbajo.
Earlier this month, the southern Christian formally declared his interest to contest next year's presidential election.
Osinbajo said in a statement that he was Nigeria's surest bet to continue improving security and prioritizing Nigeria's economy and infrastructure, as well as reform its justice system and fight poverty.
His supporters in the ruling All Progressives Party consider him a safe pair of hands to protect the party's power.
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Osinbajo to face stiff opposition
But some analysts have said he will struggle to secure the APC's ticket for the election.
"He is taking on a very herculean task and risk in the sense that the party he is contesting is the APC, which brought him to the vice president [position], is actually an arrangement of political ambitions of two people, General Buhari and Bola Tinubu," Farouk Bibi-Farouk, a professor at the University of Abuja, told DW.
Farouk explained that Bola Tinubu, the former governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007, is now in the race with Osinbajo. He added that it may be tough for Osinbajo to compete with Tinubu, for whom he served as Lagos justice commissioner and attorney general.
Bola Tinubu has ambitions to succeed President Buhari in 2023Image: Stefan Heunis/AFP/Getty Images
Tinubu — a southern Muslim and considered a wealthy power broker — declared his intention to run for president earlier this year. The former governor told reporters that his mission was "to seek the collaboration, encouragement and support of my party for my ambition and mission to become the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria."
Osinbajo does not have any ideological base within the APC to help him beat other candidates, according to Farouk.
"It is going to be an interesting contest for the APC," he said.
Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria's transport minister and former two-time governor of the oil-producing Rivers state, has also declared his intention to join the race to be the APC's presidential candidate.
Tracking Nigeria's human traffickers
DW reporters, Jan-Philipp Scholz and Adrian Kriesch, follow the dangerous journey of human traffickers from Nigeria to Italy. They discover how young Nigerian women end up on Italian streets as sex slaves.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
Fleeing poverty
Our investigation began in Benin City, capital of Edo State. Almost everyone we spoke to has at least a friend or a family member in Europe. More than three-quarters of illegal prostitutes in Italy are from this region. Due to high unemployment among the youths in Edo state, many young women see fewer prospects here. They seek for a better life in Europe instead, not fully aware of the dangers.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
False promises
Catholic Sister, Bibiana Emenaha, has tried for years to warn young Nigerian women before they ended up in Europe. "Many are lured with false promises," she told us. The traffickers promise jobs such as babysitting or hair dressing, but that quickly turn out to be a lie. Once the young women are in Europe, they end up on the streets.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
"The people are greedy"
After long negotiations, a trafficker agreed to an interview with us. He called himself Steve and claimed he has already transported more than 100 Nigerians all the way to Libya. He wouldn’t speak about the people behind his business. He said he was simply a service provider. "The people here in Edo State are greedy. They are willing to do anything for a better life," Steve said.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
Dangerous Sahara journey
For 600 euros ($666) per person, Steve organizes the journey from Nigeria to Libya. "Most people know how dangerous the journey is through the Sahara," the human smuggler told us. Many people die very often along the way. "That is the risk," Steve said, who brings the migrants personally to Agadez in Niger. A colleague then takes over from there.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
Agadez: A hub for human traffickers
The desert town of Agadez was the most dangerous part of our research trip. The town thrives on human and drug trafficking and foreigners are often kidnapped for ransom. We could only move around with armed guards and had to wear traditional head cover to be less visible.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
Solving the migration crisis
Like many others in the desert town, Omar Ibrahim Omar, the Sultan of Agadez, sees human trafficking as a problem that cannot be solved in Agadez. He is asking for more money from the international community. His argument: If Europe does not want more migrants to keep coming through the Mediterranean Sea, Europe should give more support to Niger.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
The "Monday Caravan" to Libya
For months now, several trucks with migrants from Agadez set out every Monday shortly before sunset towards the north. The crisis in Libya has contributed to human traffickers being able to reach the Mediterranean Sea without the usual controls. And we soon learned that the authorities here in Niger have little interests in their activities.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
"The girls are getting younger"
Many of the migrants from Nigeria land on the streets in Italy. Social worker Lisa Bertini works with foreign prostitutes. "They are coming more and more," she told us. According to official figures, about 1,000 Nigerians went to Italy across the Mediterranean in 2014. In 2015, the figure climbed to 4,000. "And the girls are getting younger," the social worker said.
Image: DW
Looking for a "Madam"
With help from a Nigerian colleague, we discovered an alleged "Madam" in northern Italy. A Nigerian host in Italy is referred to as "Madam," she is at the top of a smaller trafficking network. The madam we found lived in a suburb of Florence and one victim made serious accusations against the her: "She has been beating us and forced us into prostitution," the victim said.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
'Madam' and her girls
As we confronted the supposed "Madam" about the accusations, she admited accommodating six young Nigerian women in her house, but denied forcing them into prostitution: "It's just something young Nigerians here do." After our interview, we handed our research to the Italian public prosecutor's office.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
Cheap sexual satisfaction
Sister Monika Uchikwe has long been criticizing the inactivity of the Italian authorities. For eight years, she has cared for victims of human trafficking. She explained in rage as we asked about the customers. The men always want cheap satisfaction – sex with a Nigerian woman on the streets costs only 10 euros. "Without this possibility, this problem would not exist," she said.
Image: DW/A. Kriesch/J.-P. Scholz
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Nigeria's unwritten rule
Osinbajo will have to contend with Amaechi, who was instrumental in the campaign activities of the Buhari-Osinbajo candidacy for the 2015 and 2019 elections in the role of campaign director.
Describing Amaechi, Farouk said: "With his visibility, structure and age and achievement — since 1999 he has always held political office — he is a very good consideration and cannot be ruled out."
Buhari's administration has been criticized for doing little to fight corruption and deliver a more secure Nigeria, something analysts have said Osinbajo would also have to contend with.
Africa's most populous nation has an unwritten deal that sitting presidents must not be succeeded by somebody from the same region. Since Buhari is from the north, the next candidate will come from the south, something the ruling APC has agreed on.
For some Nigerians, that unwritten policy could deprive the APC and the country of quality candidates.
Supporters of Osinbajo (left) in the ruling All Progressives Party consider him a safe pair of hands to protect the party's powerImage: Press Office Yemi Osinbajo
Nigerians demand political competence
"We want the best, we are not looking at the tribe, we are not looking at the religion, we want the best, we Nigerians want the best," a resident in Abuja told DW.
The main challengers in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party have already emerged, among them former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. He is considered the opposition forerunner, and was the PDP's candidate in the 2019 presidential election.
Also among the possible presidential contenders are the governors of Rivers, Bauchi and Sokoto states, as well as former Senate president Bukola Saraki.
Atiku Abubakar from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party lost to Buhari in 2019Image: Uwais Abubakar Idris
Bleak chances for female contenders
Six women are among the 35 people who have so far declared their intention to run for office. Most Nigerians don't consider any of the females capable of winning the presidency — something that has many gender activists concerned.
Bibi-Farouk told DW that the Nigerian political system is still open to women, and he believes that "women are doing well. If you look at it the country is open to woman as anywhere in the world. There is no law or any legislature restricting women from participating or contesting," he said.
He said it's just a matter of time before a woman is successful in winning Nigeria's presidency.
For some Nigerians, the candidates who have so far declared their intentions to run for president are all competent.
"They are all capable of leading Nigeria and Nigerians will chose the best among them," a Nigerian male resident of Abuja told DW.
The Independent National Electoral Commission is expected to monitor the primaries of political parties.
The parties are due to pick presidential candidates by June 3, with official campaigning to begin in September.
