By Semafor Africa
Photos: YouTube Screenshots
Nigeria’s election season officially kicked off as the presidential poll organizer announced Feb. 20, 2027, as the voting date.
Campaigning is already well underway ahead of a contest that will test the popularity of President Bola Tinubu’s attempt to overhaul one of Africa’s largest economies and resolve multiple security crises. He is expected to seek reelection, despite not yet declaring his intentions. Pro-Tinubu campaign posters began appearing around major Nigerian cities last year.
Tinubu launched his presidency in 2023 by scrapping fuel subsidies and removing a currency peg, changes that drove up inflation and sparked a cost-of-living crisis. But his policies have helped to attract investment into Africa’s biggest oil producer and boosted economic growth.
He is likely to be pitted against familiar heavyweights, some of whom are banding together to form an opposition coalition. Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president who came second in the last election, and Peter Obi, a former state governor who came third, are part of that coalition, but it remains unclear who will emerge as the candidate. Both are still considered Tinubu’s strongest challengers going into 2027.
Read on for more on the build-up to Nigeria’s next elections. →
