https://www.wsj.com/articles/nigeria-braces-for-outcome-of-rancorous-presidential-showdown-11550226600
KADUNA, Nigeria—The largest election in Africa’s history is already shaping up to be one of its more volatile.
Some 84 million people are registered to vote on Saturday in a presidential race that will determine who controls Africa’s largest economy, top oil producer and an important U.S. counterterrorism ally.
The winner, in a bout between two heavyweights with a decadeslong history in a patronage-based political system, will face sluggish economic growth, entrenched corruption and a dizzying array of security threats.
In one corner is President Muhammadu Buhari, the former military junta leader who returned to power in 2015 elections on a promise to defeat Nigeria’s Islamist insurgency and quell rampant corruption.
In the other, Atiku Abubakar, a former vice president and businessman whose dominance of the logistics sector brought him wealth and decades of graft allegations, is pledging to reinvigorate the country’s moribund economy.
Polls show a race that is too close to call, with Mr. Buhari as the favorite, armed with the advantages of incumbency and a broader base among the more populous Muslim north.