Nigeria elections: Can Obasanjo win again?

Nigeria's President Olusegun Obasanjo has won the overwhelming support of his party as he seeks re-election.

Delegates from the ruling People's Democratic Party met in the Nigeria capital Abuja last weekend and voted overwhelmingly to select him as its candidate for the presidential election in April.

The president received 2,642 votes, a clear majority over his nearest challenger, former vice president Alex Ekwueme, who won 611 votes.

Has the People's Democratic Party picked the right man? Did President Obasanjo deliver during his first term and can he win again?

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This Talking Point has now closed. Read a selection of your comments below.

Obasanjo has performed well

Osayande Akpata, USA

Nigeria is a political complex country. Unlike most highly populated western countries, it is made up of very diverse ethnic units. This makes it extra hard to govern. Obasanjo has performed well. There is no way that he can satisfy everyone or complete all the needed actions to improve the situation in Nigeria. Rome was not built in a day. Give Obasanjo another term and he will still not quite complet the task. However, he is the only leader that has the needed vision and ability to cure the ills.
Osayande Akpata, USA

Whoever wins let's hope they have practical policies to diversify the economy away from overdependence on the oil sector, reduce the current unemployment levels of around 28%; increase the current life expectancy of around 51 years and reduce the number of people, around 45%, living below the poverty line; the wonderful people of Nigeria deserve better.
Charles Bell, UK

OBJ has really failed the nation. There is no sign of good tidings for the poor masses. In fact, since he came on board corruption has been on the increase. Over half of the country's money is channelled to the presidency and the legislature. All his anti-corruption panels have not indicted anybody so far. All the political office holders, governors, senators etc, have stolen all the money meant for development. All the major roads are in terrible conditions. The military was certainly better.
Chris, Nigeria

I'm a Nigerian presently living in UK. I'm a card carrying member of PDP but had to flee Nigeria last year due to my strong opposition to corruption in all facets. The choice of OBJ as a candidate of PDP marks the death of the party and the eventual emergence of President Obasanjo as the next president in the April 19 election will give room for insurrection and the disintegration of Nigeria.
Pastor Victor O.A., England

There is no real feel for who will emerge as the new leader

Peter Riley, USA

I have just returned from Nigeria. Obasanjo is not exactly a failure but surely a disappointment. The roads are worse. The poor are poorer and the selected rich are richer. There is no real feel for who will emerge as the new leader.
Peter Riley, USA

Obasanjo should give way to more vibrant and energetic politicians; he is only exploiting the power of incumbency. He has failed the nation.
Agada Onoja, Nigerian living in Algeria

Obasanjo has restored the confidence of the civilised world in Nigeria. He has greatly improved power and energy supply and communication in the country. He remains a great stabilising factor without whom Nigeria would have been torn to pieces.
Ropo Okunmuyide, Nigeria

His best is not good enough

Jide Olanrewaju, Nigeria

Though Obasanjo has tried his best, his best is not good enough to keep the most populous country in Africa moving. His emergence as PDP candidate in the next election will spell doom for the party.
Jide Olanrewaju, Nigeria

I think Obasanjo deserves a second term. If not for any other reason, he successfully exposed the bunch of crooks and thieves in our national assemblies. I hated his guts when he was running the first time. Let's face it, he is determined and one of a handful of honest Nigerians we have today.
Osude Seye, USA

The whole exercise of selecting Obasanjo was a charade. This is not an election. He will not win in the general election. He has angered a lot of people. Nigeria is not yet ready for democracy. I foresee a situation where the military may come back.
Emeka, Sacramento, USA

Nigeria needs such a man to hold things together for another term

Tolu Oni, UK

OBJ might not be the most intelligent, witty, or tactful leader Nigeria can offer. However he has proved that he is objective, sincere and that he holds the interests of the nation dear to his heart. Nigeria needs such a man to hold things together for another term while we hope that another leader with the "real deal" will emerge. For now, OBJ is the first among equals!
Tolu Oni, UK

For quite sometime, it has been Sharia states versus non-Sharia states; South-South and resources control. Obasanjo's re-election portends one and only one thing to Nigeria. And that is disintegration of the country!
Ejike Ajalla, USA/Nigeria

Obasanjo is the best candidate so far. Despite all his troubles no-one has accused him of corruption. He is doing a good job under a very difficult condition. May God help him!
Joshua Agbebakun, USA

The people of Nigeria should wake up and help themselves too

Chalz Egure, Canada

President Obasanjo is doing his best and deserves a second term. It is my prayer that God may continue to grant him wisdom, knowledge, and understanding to govern Nigeria. A tree cannot make a forest, therefore it is impossible for Mr President to know or do it all. The people of Nigeria should wake up and help themselves too.
Chalz Egure, Canada

Olusegun Obasanjo will triumph in the coming elections by God's grace because of his unrivalled solid achievements. People easily forget that the task of building or rebuilding is always slower and more painstaking than the task of destroying. He has laid a very good democratic foundation and has been fair to all segments of Nigeria including the opposition. He will win again!
Oluwafemi Faseemo, Nigeria

Obasanjo cannot win a second term because he has lost the support of the North who put him in power four years ago. In other words, Obasanjo will become another victim of Sharia because he failed to address the issue while he could.
Wayne Bassey, USA

Obasanjo is on the track of winning again. For him to have put under control various religious and political crisis which was characterised by long years of military rule, is a plus for him to win again. Though, his anti-corruption crusade is being threatened by the elites, this may give him the sympathy votes from the masses. He might have not performed very well on economy and poverty alleviation, the improvement recorded in the area of communication and electricity generation is a pointer for better future with his second term. In short, Obasanjo is the only visible and reliable link under whose umbrella all ethnics and geo-political zones in Nigeria can for now rely on as a united and single country.
Tajudeen Ojelade, Nigeria

Obasanjo stands shoulder above all the other presidential aspirants

Reno Omokri, UK

When Obasanjo took over, he met 21 years of deliberate misrule, corruption had been made almost official by the several military predecessors he had, and social injustice was unbearable. It would appear that it would be very unfair to expect the situation to change immediately. The facts on the ground in Nigeria, appears to be that Obasanjo has improved on everything he met on ground. The teledensity of Nigeria has more than doubled under the man, electricity generation has tripled, fuel which before him was not adequately supplied has been consistently steady and the military has been checkmated. The only area where things seem to have deteriorated is in the state of security, and why? It is because of the Sharia issue, which was introduced by the same discredited former military leaders. In my view, Obasanjo stands shoulder above all the other presidential aspirants in Nigeria.
Reno Omokri, UK

Obasanjo's presidency has brought nothing but woes and stagnance to Nigeria. He will win re-election only if the election is rigged and only if the few good Nigerians out there continue to stay out of politics. With the factor of incumbency stacked in Obasanjo's favour, only a formidable candidate will defeat him but those who are capable of becoming formidable candidates are not even in the fray. This is the disheartening reality.
mochonu, Nigeria/USA

The question is an interesting one. But the current situation in Nigeria goes beyond who is or is not the President. The country needs a radical constitutional restructuring that will make the centre weaker and the six geo-political regions more independent and stronger. In other words Nigeria needs a federal system of government. The emphasis on a strong centre in the current constitution of Nigeria engenders a winner takes all mentality that encourages ethnic, religious and social conflicts. Each of the 36 states of Nigeria deserve to control 50% of their resources, so that they can use their God-given resources to benefit their own people. The restructuring of Nigeria will help de-emphasize the role of money in Nigerian politics, and could help to drive out corruption from our public life, where many politicians see political office as a short cut to the proverbial golden fleece.
Bunmi Awoyemi, Nigeria

Obasanjo hasn't done a bad job

Steve Eli Ahiabu, Ghana/Canada

Nigerians need to acknowledge the fact that their country is one of the most difficult countries to govern worldwide. Countless and incurable regional, ethnic, religious, economic and Bakassi conflicts to juggle with. Obasanjo hasn't done a bad job. He deserves and will win a second term.
Steve Eli Ahiabu, Ghana/Canada

No doubt Obasanjo is an unpopular leader, but the use of the twin evils of ethnicity and money is keeping him in power. Politics in Nigeria need urgent reform to avert a violent revolution. May those who have ears, hear.
Olubusayo Michael Oluwagbemi, USA/Nigeria

President Obasanjo will win, because he is the most popular living Nigerian now. Apart from that he means well for the country. He is also not corrupt. It is on record that he is the only one of all Nigerian rulers who has concrete achievements, others were looters. I believe strongly that he is God's gift to Nigeria.
Babalola, USA

A second term for Obasanjo will mark the final phase of the eventual disintegration of Nigeria. In this present term he helped in dividing the country into two: the sharia and non-sharia states. He then turned his knife to the south and continued to incite them to self-determination by his onshore/offshore dichotomy politics. Will Nigeria survive his second coming or will he survive Nigeria in this calculated second coming?
Solomon, Canada

It could be a real opportunity for a formidable change

Dem, Nigeria

Since money politics brought back President Obasanjo, who is no longer popular among Nigerians, it could be a real opportunity for a formidable change. PDP, the ruling party, may pay dearly by losing the election in April.
Dem, Nigeria

He can win, because he has improved the lives of his people.
Yerima Danzariz Kumo, Nigeria

It appears that President Olusegun Obasanjo will likely win reelection. However, the problem with the Nigerian electoral system is it keeps recycling old brigades that depleted the country's economy. These old brigades are afraid of allowing university graduates to vie and win presidential elections in Nigeria. How can a country prosper if its system keeps recycling the same old people that are bankrupting the country's resources? Good luck to Obansanjo for no other reason than the fact that there is no better choice.
Sylvester I Okoro, Usaka-Ukwu, Nigeria/USA

Crime, insecurity and underdevelopment are his legacy

Mohammed, USA

Obasanjo has no chance whatsoever of winning the next election. Under his rule the country has fallen deeper and deeper into a state of lawlessness. Crime, insecurity and underdevelopment are his legacy. It is time for someone who will lead Nigeria to bring a brighter future of unity and growth and that man is certainly not and has not been Obasanjo.
Mohammed, USA

I believe he is the only man for now. He did not really perform well in turning the economy around, but he is the only man that holds the nation together with his experience and competence, because the country would have been split by now. I wish him good luck for his second term. He will surely win.
MO Oyetunde, Germany