2015: Eight candidates to challenge Jonathan

Only nine of the 26 registered political parties are preparing to field candidates for the 2015 presidential elections, according to investigations by Daily Trust. Based on the timetable for the general elections, parties have between October 2 and December 11 to hold primaries and select candidates for the February 14 presidential election.Investigations by our reporters […]

Only nine of the 26 registered political parties are preparing to field candidates for the 2015 presidential elections, according to investigations by Daily Trust.

Based on the timetable for the general elections, parties have between October 2 and December 11 to hold primaries and select candidates for the February 14 presidential election.
Investigations by our reporters found that three weeks into the window provided for the primaries, only nine parties have begun working towards fielding candidates for president.
The ruling party has already approved President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole candidate, ahead of its December 6 primaries, even though the president has yet to say if he will run.
If he does contest, he is likely to be challenged by candidates from only eight other parties, namely All Progressives Congress (APC), Labour Party (LP), United Progressives Party (UPP), National Conscience Party (NCP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) and Peoples Progressives Alliance (PPA).
The remaining 17 political parties have not shown clear indication that they will field presidential candidates.
They are Accord Party, Action Alliance, Advanced Congress of Democrats, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria, Alliance for Democracy, African Democratic Congress, African Peoples Alliance, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Citizens Popular Party, Democratic People’s Party, Independent Democrats, Kowa Party, Mega Progressives Peoples Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, People for Democratic Change, Peoples Party of Nigeria and United Democratic Party.
It is not clear what happens in the case of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), which won a court case on Monday against its deregistration.
The 17 parties that appear not interested in the presidential race comprise those that have not made a clear decision and those that have made up their minds not to field candidates at that level. But most of them would contest in governorship and legislative elections.
Many of these parties, according to our investigations, are hampered by poor finances, as it would cost lots of money to field and try to sell a presidential candidate.
Parties no longer get funding from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). They therefore mostly rely on their members holding plum public offices, and other supporters benefitting from government patronage.
With only three parties controlling the 36 state governments, and just two dominating the parliament, most other political parties struggle to stay afloat.
Daily Trust learnt that some of the parties not fielding presidential candidates are planning to align with others who will have candidates.
One of the parties that previously fielded a presidential candidate but is now considering endorsing a candidate of another party is APGA. Its National Secretary Alhaji Sani Shinkafi said the party’s top hierarchy was yet to decide on this.
“We are going to field candidates for governorship, National Assembly and others but for presidential candidate the decision of the party will be made public as soon as the NWC meets,” he told Daily Trust.
Some of the smaller parties fielding presidential candidates confirmed their decision to Daily Trust.
Assistant national secretary A.A. Salam said the Labour Party would be in the race.
The People’s Democratic Movement (PDM) also said through national publicity secretary Ahmed Rufai Abubakar that they were preparing to select a candidate for president.
The United Progressives Party (UPP) chairman Chief Chekwas Okorie said the party has zoned its presidential slot to South-East.
Least crowded
If only the nine parties end up fielding presidential candidates, next year’s presidential election will be the least crowded since 1999.
During the 2011 presidential elections, 20 political parties fielded candidates for president.
They were People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Goodluck Jonathan; Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Muhammadu Buhari; Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Nuhu Ribadu; All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Ibrahim Shekarau; People for Democratic Change (PDC), Mahmud Waziri; Peoples Mandate Party (PMP), Nwadike Chikezie; Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Lawson Igboanugo; and African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peter Nwangwu.
Others were Better Nigeria Progressive Party (BNPP), Iheanyichukwu Nnaji; Fresh Democratic Party (FRESH), Chris Okotie; National Conscience Party (NCP), Dele Momodu; National Majority Democratic Party (NMDP), Akpona Solomon; African Political System (APS); and Lawrence Makinde Adedoyin.
There were also African Renaissance Party (ARP), Yahaya Ndu; Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Ambrose Awuru; Social Democratic Mega Party (SDMP), Patrick Utomi; United National Party for Development (UNPD), Ebiti Ndok; National Transformation Party (NTP), John Dara; Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), Rasheed Shitta-Bey; and Liberal Democratic Party of Nigeria (LDPN), Chris Nwaokobia.