Buhari victory at polls not a sure bet as his support base dries up
Lagos/Kano — Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid is facing a growing challenge as members of his party defect to the opposition and support diminishes in a key region that has stood by him politically for 15 years: the north. Home to about 40% of the West African nation’s voters, Nigeria’s northeast and northwest regions have long been Buhari’s bedrock — he carried them in three failed bids for the presidency, before gaining enough supporters elsewhere in 2015 to win. Now, defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress have spread to prominent northerners, casting doubt on whether he can secure the 13 states’ backing in February’s ballot. "The perception is that he has more ‘automatic votes’ than anybody in the vote-rich north," said Amaka Anku, head of Eurasia Group’s Africa practice. The defection of a key governor last week shows "it may be possible to overcome that edge after all." Buhari, 75, was the first opposition candidate in Nigeria’s history to win...
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