Campaigning for Nigeria’s January 2027 presidential election officially kicks off today, and President Bola Tinubu faces strong headwinds in his bid for a second term. His All Progressives Congress has governed Africa’s most populous country for more than a decade, but rising insecurity and frustration that Tinubu’s pro-business reforms have not translated into better living standards have created an opening for the opposition. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and businessman Peter Obi are both looking to capitalize on that discontent and challenge the incumbent.
Hard Numbers
Nigeria’s presidential race kicks off
Will Fitzpatrick
By Will FitzpatrickAugust 19, 2026
Will Fitzpatrick
Will Fitzpatrick is a multimedia reporter and producer at GZERO, where he does a little bit of everything: writing for the GZERO Daily, creating social videos, producing GZERO World, and whatever else the news cycle throws his way.
Before GZERO, Will worked in documentary film on both the production and post-production sides, including on Everest: The Other Side and on The First Wave. He has also directed and produced two short documentaries of his own. Outside the film world, Will has worked as a freelance journalist, with reporting that has taken him from the dhow workshops of Oman to the mountains of Patagonia, with plenty of stops in between. He’s especially interested in the niche, hard-to-reach, and underreported stories that reveal something bigger about how the world works.
Will studied economics and world politics at Hamilton College and received his Master’s in journalism from New York University. When he's not reporting, you can likely find Will tending to his oyster farm, on a bike, or somewhere outdoors.
