The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed February 18, 2023 to elect the President, Vice President, and members of the federal parliament.

 

Muhammadu Buhari

As president of the country and leader of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), his every action will be central to most political intrigues and outcomes across party lines in 2022. By virtue of his office, he is largely expected to dictate the pace of political events in the build-up to the 2023 general election, especially as he won’t be on the ballot for the first time in 20 years.

 

Prof Yakubu

As chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Yakubu is, perhaps, the most critical apolitical personality in the entire process. As such he will be a prime person of interest in 2022.

 

Osinbajo

The vice president is a key figure in the narrative on who succeeds his boss, President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023. Although he has yet to declare intent to seek the position, some of his supporters have since set up a presidential campaign office. To this end, his every action and inaction will be critical in the coming year.

 

Jonathan

Like most former presidents, Jonathan would always be a person to look out for, especially in an election year. But his case is unique. Besides the fact that he has been one of the most active former presidents from Africa in the light of the diplomatic missions he has had to undertake since he left office, the unceasing rumour of his defection from the PDP to APC will continue to keep him in the minds of political thinkers and the nation in general. In the outgoing year, Jonathan’s rumoured defection plot began to dominate national discussion shortly after that visit by the APC national leadership and some governors.

 

Obasanjo

Much like his successor, Jonathan, ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo has been quite engaged abroad. However, in the last quarter of his year, the former president became more visible and vocal on national issues. Known for courting controversy, Obasanjo will definitely be a person of interest in 2022 as it would be insightful who he supports for the presidency. Having resigned from partisan politics, his residence might be a must-go for contenders.

 

Atiku

Since 1993, the former vice president has remained a constant in presidential elections in Nigeria. And 2023 will not be an exception as reports are already rife that he will, again, enter the fray. As his supporters, yet again, await his formal declaration for the top seat, he will certainly be a person to watch out for in 2022. He has since taken to being quite active in PDP activities having returned from what some called political hibernation in Dubai.

 

Tinubu

With the speculation of his 2023 presidential bid gaining momentum, the former Lagos State governor and national leader of the APC will be a key person to look out for next year.

While his political engagements saw him spend more time outside his Bourdillion stronghold in the outgoing year, the large number of political leaders who visited him during his recent medical trip abroad tells so much about how influential he still is.

He has since embarked on consultations ahead of 2023, plus frequent visits to the Villa, which put him as one of those to look out for in 2022.

 

Saraki

The immediate past Senate President has been quite involved in strategic and key political engagements in his party, PDP. He has opened up about his ambition to contest the presidency in 2023 and has since begun to meet party leaders accordingly. He had served as chairman of the reconciliation committee of his party. He will certainly be a major personality to look out for in the political space next year as his action will, somewhat, shape the trajectory of his party and the larger polity.

 

Tambuwal

The Sokoto State governor is also rumoured to be interested in the top seat come 2023. As such he will be keen to throw his weight around next year. More so, as chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, he will be a significant figure in shaping political decisions both in his party and the larger political spectrum.

 

Wike

He is certainly one of the most influential governors in the polity today and definitely a key powerbroker in PDP. Having succeeded in effecting a leadership change in the PDP national leadership, the Rivers State governor has become that guy that all senior and ranking PDP political actors must consult or feel his pulse on party issues ahead of 2023. More so, with rumours of his eye on the presidency, either as president or vice president, he will be a critical stakeholder in the 2023 discussion next year.

 

Peter Obi

The former Anambra governor and former vice-presidential candidate is also being linked to the 2023 presidential race even though, like many others, he is yet to publicly declare for it. However, his political engagements in recent times project him as someone who isn’t ready to take the back seat ahead of 2023. This is more so that his emergence as running mate to Atiku in 2019 took many pundits by surprise. Now, he is seen as one of the deft players in the political space.

 

Ayu

As national chairman of PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, a former Senate president, the way he steers the ship of the main opposition party will be instructive. He is expected to preside over the party primaries and lead the charge for the party’s return to power in 2023.

 

Buni

Next year, the national chairman of APC, Mai Mala Buni, is expected to conduct a crucial national convention to elect new party executives. But he also has a critical assignment of ensuring the atmosphere is ripe for such a task following the rumblings that trailed the ward, local government and state congresses.

 

Anyim Pius Anyim

Former Senate president and secretary to the government of the federation has already made his intentions known. He is one of the few who has openly declared for the presidential seat in 2023. He has since started consultations.

 

Emeka Nwajiuba

The minister of state for education is regarded as a close ally of the president, having come through the now defunct Congress Progressive Change (CPC) bloc. He is also speculated to be interested in the race even though he has not declared yet. Calm, humane and suave, he is regarded as strategic and savvy.

 

Kayode Fayemi

He is the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the college of 36 governors in the country and arguably the second most influential power bloc in the country, after the presidency. However, beyond being the leader of the influential forum, Fayemi is also speculated to be interested in the 2023 presidential race. But he has to deal with the governorship election in his state this year.

 

APC national chairmanship aspirants

Others to watch are the APC national chairmanship aspirants. The aspirants are former governor of Nasarawa, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, Senator Mohammed Musa, former Zamfara state governor Abdulaziz Yari, former governor of Borno State, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

Others are former governor of Bauchi State, Isa Yuguda, Malam Mustapha Saliu, Mr. Sunny Monidafe, Mohammed Etsu and Senator George Akume.

 

 Aliko Dangote:

If you search: Who is the most successful entrepreneur in Nigeria? The result you would get is Aliko Dangote. He tops the collection of successful entrepreneurs with a net worth of $12.6 billion. He was born in 1957, and his birthplace is Kano State. In 1977, when he was only 20 years old, the young man started the Dangote Business Group.

Aliko Dangote’s firm started as a tiny company that specialised in trading. It is now a substantial multi-billion corporation with branches in Nigeria and other African countries like Ghana, Benin Republic, and Togo. The Dangote Group is famous for being the most influential industrial group in the Western Africa region. It has about 30,000 employees.

 

Tony Elumelu founded Heirs Holdings, a company that invests in power, real estate, healthcare, hospitality, and oil and gas, in 2010. Tony is also the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.

The name Tony O. Elumelu in the business sector is treated so much admiration and respect .

Perhaps, it stems from the collective remembering of his famous dogged entrepreneurial decision of turning a massively failing Nigerian bank around within a relatively short time, a move that took the country and market analysts by surprise. Or perhaps it is the fact whenever you look around you, you’re bound to encounter people and businesses that have been grazed by the lush generosity of Elumelu’s philanthropic activities. And these by no means adequately describe the extent of his influence. As he recently turned 58, taking a look at his life, works, and achievement is a worthwhile task to embark on.

 

Godwin Emeifele

Godwin Emeifele is the 11th second-term running governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

During his watch, Emefiele has cut a commendable clout as a governor with an eye on the bigger picture of the economy. He has remarkably balanced the Bank’s mandate of monetary and price stability, with the development objectives of national economy.

However, with a sharp drop in crude oil prices, and reduction in Nigeria’s oil production quota, as well as the significant decline in government revenue and foreign exchange earnings as a result of the impact of two recessions in quick successions in addition to  COVID-19 impact on the nation’s economy,  exchange rate has not been stable. However, his intervention in rice revolution and other initiatives stand him out from his ilk.

 

Alhaji  Musbahu Mohammad Bashir

Alhaji Musbahu Mohammed Bashir, the quiet effervescent Kano billionaire, is the founder of Mafab Communications, one of the bidders who recently gave MTN and Airtel a run for their money to clinch a 10-year spectrum licence to provide the much talked about 5G services, and a minimum requirement of an operational Universal Access Service Licence (UASL)

An engineer with Midas’ touch, Bashir is also the chairman of Althani Group of Companies with diverse interest across oil and gas, banking, insurance, real estate and telecom industries, with head office located at 12A Yalinga Street, Wuse 11, Abuja.

He is also a director on the Board of Jaiz Bank Plc, Bento Drill Nigeria Limited and Resources Capital Group.

 

Zainab Ahmed

With the planned subsidy removal in 2022, the increase in taxes as spelt out in the 2021 Finance Bill, the minister of finance Zainab Ahmed could have as much impact on the lives of Nigerians as chief executive of a state, corporation or even the President. If Ahmed forges ahead with plans to pay 40 million poor Nigeria  N5,000 in place of the fuel subsidy,  her policies will likely break or make a number of citizens.