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| UN chief, Mark Leon Goldberg |
The editor in Chief of UN Dispatch and host of the Global Dispatches Podcast, Mark Leon Goldberg, has said that Peter Obi's victory in the February presidential election "would represent the most significant political impact of the George Floyd protests anywhere in the world -- including the US."
In a series of tweets on his verified twitter handle on Friday, the UN chief described Obi as "a surprising insurgent third party candidate currently leading in the polls ahead of Nigeria's February 23rd elections.", adding that Obi's surging poll numbers is due to support he is getting from the Nigerian youths.
The tweets reads: "If Peter Obi ends up winning the presidential elections in Nigeria, you could argue that it would represent the most significant political impact of the George Floyd protests anywhere in the world -- including the US."
"Some background: Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa and one of the largest multi-party democracies in the world.
Peter Obi is a surprising insurgent third party candidate currently leading in the polls ahead of Nigeria's February 23rd elections."
"Obi's surging poll numbers is largely due to his support among young people (under the age of 34) who have registered to vote in record numbers in recent months."
"So what does this have to do with the George Floyd and BLM?
In 2020 many thousands of Nigerian youth took to the streets in historic protests against police brutality. The movement was called #EndSARS and very much drew inspiration from BLM."
(At the time, I interviewed a key player in the #EndSARS movement @SavvyRinu who explained its origins and purpose)"
"It turns out that this 2020 movement against police brutality inspired a *massive* political awakening among Nigerian youth, who are now getting registered to vote in record numbers.
According to official stats ~85% of over 9 million newly registered voters are under 34"
"These young voters are flocking to Peter Obi who is actively and deliberately courting them in a dynamic discussed at length in my podcast episode today with @DCynthiaM -->"
"In other words: The leading presidential candidate in one of the largest democracies in the world may owe his election to newly engaged young voters whose entry to politics was a protest movement directly inspired by BLM."
Peter Obi is the presidential candidate of the Labour Party LP in the 2023 presidential election.