Hello Nigerians, this is a SWOT analysis of the presidential candidates in the forthcoming general election. I will like to affirm that this assessment is neither conclusive nor subjective, rather it is objective and based on researched information.
SWOT analysis is an assessment conducted to determine strength, weakness, opportunities and threats. Each candidate will be assessed based on these indices. Kindly note that, I am neither affiliated to any candidate and am not a member of any party. I have no favourite among the candidates. Please be patient enough to read through the analysis for each candidates. As there is no bias, some parts of the write up may favour your chosen candidate and other part unfavourable.

vote but use ur conscience

The first candidate to be assessed is President Muhammadu Buhari the APC presidential candidate.
Strength -
He is presently the incumbent president of Nigeria which gives him incumbency advantage. Incumbency advantage gives this candidate more recognition and access to certain previledges under government control. Also this candidate has more funding than any other candidate. He wields strong influence and has strong support base. Many politicians are tempted to support him for favour and positions. The cabal and political structure behind this candidate is strong and we cannot ignore the strong support from various groups. He controls security agencies and other supervisory/participatory instrumental organizations. It could also be observed that he is still very popular accross the regions as large crowd attends his rallies. He still has loyal followers who are not burdened about his achievements or failures.

Weakness -
His age and health condition had been a major issue. Frequent mistakes and low responsiveness in interaction had left so many doubt about his mental and physical capability to run for second term.
His first term performance which is below expectations, especially because of his huge promises left much to be desired.
His popularity as a man of integrity diminished significantly within the nation and internationally, mostly as a result of his administration's selective clamp down on corrupt culprits. The harsh economic condition, inflation and other economic indices also contribute to lower his image as people's favourite.

Opportunities -
Voting President Buhari for second term comes with certain opportunities for the people. One of those opportunities is the completion of ongoing projects. A plus for PMB has been continuity, he ensures continuity of ongoing projects to completion, example can be seen in the rail way sector, Agriculture and Power sectors. He did not discriminate projects started by his predecessor.
If Buhari wins his second term bid, the south will benefit more than the north, since power may likely go to a southerner after his second term. But when another northerner wins for example Alhaji Atiku who may likely run for a second term, the north may end up having two terms.
President Buhari second term (if reelected) may most likely be better than his first term since it is his last term, he may become more decisive, strict and free from influence, resulting in a more focused leadership.
If reelected, PMB is expected to deal ruthlessly with certain previledged individuals within his cabinet, party and circle. This will pitch him against his party's hierarchy, resulting in continues tension that will keep him up on his toes.
Real GDP growth was as low as -1.9 in 2016, due to the adminstration's hesitation, poor grasp on the economy and low unstable oil price. The real GDP growth overtime had rise to 0.8 in 2017 and 2.1 in 2018. It is speculated to rise more this year and coming years. The improvement in the values of the real GDP shows that things can get better given time.
Another aspect to consider is that this administration had engaged some Nigerians through implemented social intervention schemes such as Npower and others. PMB second term bid if successful, will ensure continuity of such programs.
Finally, experience is said to be a good teacher, it is expected that this administration had learnt from their previous mistakes and if reelected will fare better.

Threats -
If PMB is reelected, certain threats are obvious and need to be considered by Nigerians who will be at the receiving end. One glaring threat is the doubt of the physical and mental condition of the President. If we are to consider the numerous blunders of the president in his campaign rallies and media chats, one will conclude that the president needs to retire and rest, so that he doesn't jeopardize our collective resources and interests. Blunders in decision making by the number one citizen can lead to chaos, collapse and failure of governance mechanisms.
The strong influence of the cabal on this adminsitration is so dangerous, especially if PMB lose control due to health challenges or age limitation.

Atiku will win.

The second candidate to be assessed is the presidential candidate of PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
Strength :
Alhaji Atiku is a former vice president of Nigeria, he wields power and influence in the Nigeria political Arena. He won the PDP primary election against some real heavy weights like: Saraki, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, David Mark etc.
His party has strong national network and grassroots presence. With huge resource from his deep pocket and from his party's support he could afford to match the incumbent in campaign activities. Some prominent stakeholders including Chief Olusegun Obasanjo have endorsed him and are fully in support of him.
America recently granted him visa and he successfully visited after being denied from visiting for 13 years. This may be a sign that he has foreign support. Alhaji Atiku is the major opposition contender for the presidential position. Implying that majority of the voters that will not vote for PMB may likely end up voting for Alhaji Atiku.

Weakness of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar -
He had a bad reputation on allegations by his former boss (Chief Olusegun Obasanjo). He is contesting against an incumbent, implying that security and other agencies involved in the conduct of the presidential poll may work against him in favour of the incumbent.

Opportunities (Alhaji Atiku Abubakar)
Just like his slogan says, he has the capacity to get Nigeria working again. He is among the most successful businessmen in Nigeria. His experience as former vice president and owner of multi-billion dollar businesses may be what the second largest economy in Africa need to take its rightful place among the nations with rapidly growing economy.
Alhaji Atiku obviously is smart and agile both mentally and physically. If he wins the presidential election, his administration will most likely grow the private sector and provide necessary infrastructural and policy conditions for business to succeed and grow.

ATIKU, carry us to the promise land. No to tyranny, nepotism and tribalism.

k

Threat (Alhaji Atiku Abubakar)
The presidential race has been tough for Alhaji Atiku, he is the only candidate that had contested for more than four times. This may also have made him the candidate that has spent or lost more funds to the presidential race, therefore it is arguably justified to assume he will try to get back his money spent from the national coffers.
As a capitalist, it is expected that Alhaji Atiku would favour capitalism development in his administration, one will then wonder if there will ever be hope for social equity under his rule.

Omoyele Sowore is the presidential candidate and founder of the African Action Congress. This man deserves to be taken more seriously, even though he has very little political structure, influence and support. Sowore is a fearless activist and a born leader. He succeeded in making the Omoyele Sowore a household name. He cannot be intimidated and succeed against the odds, as such an icon for the Nigerian youth.

Strenght (Omoyele Sowore)

Omoyele is an intelligent young man with lot of energy. He had always campaigned for the good of the nation and had suffered arrests and persecutions for this course.

Many of our parents were lucky during their time, there were jobs, so with just primary school and secondary education they had good jobs. Some started working before seeking tertiary education or technical/vocational education to complement their minimum education. They were contented with the little amount they earned because macro and micro economic variables (exchange rate, inflation, prices etc.) were favourable.
As times pass, true world politics catched up with Nigeria. The system where few capitalize on the vulnerability and gullibility of the many to enjoy the common huge resources and deplet favourable conditions for development and growth of the country, began.
Remember that presently, the country has gotten bad that even a PhD holder has to be either lucky, well connected or extremely persistent in job search to get employed.
Currently our parents can't even benefit from the investments on their children's education, as their children are mostly unemployed or underemployed. Things has gotten so bad that many graduates all in the name of entrepreneurship/selfemployment have resulted in undertaking many demeaning trades.
The big question is: if our time is like this and the country is still nose-diving downward, how will our next generation's time be? Maybe menaces that are currently growing such as ritual killings, kidnapping, fraud, militancy, cultism, prostitution, low moral values, will become accepted norms. The country will become a total jungle where the few strongest, thrive at the expense of the many weak.
The funny part of all these, is that some people that can hardly afford to fend for themselves will pick sides and support/defend politicians that only care about acquiring wealth and power for themselves and their family members.
As we prepare to vote for the candidate of our choice in the coming general elections, prudently expend some minutes to brood about the state of our nation, the country we will leave behind for our progeny. Think of the future of Nigeria and align your thoughts with the candidate that will most likely take the nation to preferred future. Let us throw away all facade and illusions leading us to support a particular candidate blindly in sake of emotion, tribal, religious and small monetary gains. What significant gain have you made from this candidates you continually chant their names and support. Many of us had in the past supported candidates that won election and totally forgot us. But I will categorically tell you that I had benefited more from regimes of those I never voted for.
Vote freely, vote prudent, vote wisely.
Remember that when we are hungry, the politicians have excess to eat with their family. When we are sick, they get the best healthcare abroad, when our schools are shutdown because of strike, their children go to the best schools abroad. When we bleed, they laugh at us and call us hooligans, when we suffer and hustle, they pleasure in the best hotels around the globe.
Contrary to what their bold faces and fake promises express, we are the one in control now, we hold the axe and we call the shots. They are at our mercy today, that is why they will dance like monkeys, sing like clowns and beg like beggars for our votes.
This is the time to punish or reward with your vote, after the election, you can only complain or maintain.
Every vote counts, votewisely.
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