LAGOS (Reuters) - For much of his political career, Nigerian President-elect Bola Tinubu has exerted power from behind the scenes, widely regarded as a "godfather" who uses an extensive patronage network to back candidates for office.
Tinubu's support helped outgoing leader Muhammadu Buhari win two terms in office, in 2015 and 2019. And since he bowed out as Lagos governor in 2007, Tinubu has picked every subsequent winning candidate to run Africa's biggest city.
That power will now be tested as Tinubu attempts to tackle Nigeria's crises and improve on Buhari's lacklustre record.
Nigeria is beset by armed groups that have rendered swathes of the country ungovernable, while its economy is barely keeping up with population growth amid surging inflation and crippling cash shortages after a botched introduction of new bank notes.
Many of these problems worsened under Buhari, on whose party ticket Tinubu ran. But asked at a weekend news briefing why voters should elect him, he distanced himself from the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) party he helped create.
"I am not the party," he said. "My track record should speak for me. Look at Lagos: Before I came, we had dead bodies on the road, a chaotic traffic system, robbery daytime and nighttime."
"Come on: clap for me," he added in an appearance typical of the hubris that often marks leaders of Africa's top oil producer and most populous country.
credit link: Bola Tinubu: From godfather of Lagos to Nigeria's president-elect (msn.com)
