Nigeria’s Brutal Decision: Former Dictator or Alleged Kleptocrat
Voters need to choose between a pair of uninspiring presidential candidates, neither offering a fix for its struggling economy.
Muhammadu Buhari (left) with Atiku Abubakar in Lagos in 2014.
Photographer: Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP/Getty Images
What’s a Nigerian citizen to do when there’s a presidential election coming up and the two leading candidates are a former dictator who’s presided over four years of lackluster growth and an alleged kleptocrat of international repute?
This is the choice facing Africa’s largest oil producer, and by some measures its largest economy, in the Feb. 16 vote. Although the field is crowded, incumbent Muhammadu Buhari, 76, faces his strongest challenge from Atiku Abubakar, 72, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007 and has tried and failed several times already to secure the top job.