Third man Young voters swell hope for Obi's shock bid

At a recent campaign stop, Peter Obi responded to regular criticism. Bola Tinubu, a rival candidate in  next month's presidential elections in Nigeria, had called him stingy.

- By Ope Adetayo LAGOS

Obi told a crowd of supporters that yes, he has been stingy with public funds, and that made him a better fit for the country's top job.

Nigerians go to the polls on 25 February to choose a replacement for Muhammadu Buhari, whose eight year rule has been sharply criticised for failing to get to grips with rampant insecurity and a cost of living crisis.

A former state governor running for the Labour party, Obi is the first third-party candidate to present a real challenge to the dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its main opposition, the People's Democratic Party (PDP), since the end of military dictatorship in 1999.

The 61-year-old has appealed to younger voters with a message that he wants to bring real change.