ASSESSMENTS

After Contentious Polls, Nigeria Looks Forward

Mar 6, 2019 | 10:00 GMT

All Progressives Congress party supporters rally in Kano, Nigeria, as they celebrate the reelection of Muhammadu Buhari on Feb. 27, 2019. Buhari is back -- even if the fallout from the fractious polls could affect his control over the restive, oil-producing south.

(LUIS TATO/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

As opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar prepares to file a legal challenge against the results of Nigeria's Feb. 23 presidential election, the previous suspension of the Supreme Court's chief justice could add fuel to the fire in terms of protests.
However, the current lack of evidence of widespread vote-rigging means President Muhammadu Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress party are likely to remain in power.
Buhari's probable second term could prompt militant groups in the oil-producing Niger Delta to follow through on their vow to renew attacks.
In response, the Nigerian government is likely to continue its successful strategy of simultaneously clamping down on militants and seeking to placate them in an effort to protect the country's most lucrative industry.

The dust might be settling on Nigeria's Feb. 23 general election, but a new battle is brewing. Opposition parties, namely the People's Democratic Party (PDP), have vowed to file legal challenges against the results, in which President Muhammadu Buhari beat the PDP's Atiku Abubakar by 14 points, on allegations the government rigged the vote in favor of Buhari and his ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). While observers reported some election irregularities, no clear evidence has yet emerged indicating widespread manipulation of the vote, which heralds a likely second term for Buhari and the APC, after which one of his main tasks will center on how to approach the Niger Delta -- a delicate question that will determine the near-term future of Nigeria's oil industry....

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