2023: Nationwide survey tips Obi as Nigeria’s next president

Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has the highest chance of becoming the next president, a recent survey has revealed.

The opinion survey which was conducted by Market Trends International (MTI), a research organisation revealed that 44 percent of the respondents indicated that they would likely vote Obi in the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking at a media event in Lagos, Executive Director of the agency, Victor Ozinegbe Ebhomenye described the outcome of the survey as amazing, adding that as at December 2021, Labour Party and Peter Obi had no presence in Nigerian presidential scene.

According to him, the survey, conducted between November 9 and 29, 2022, indicated that Senator Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had 19 percent respondents, Atiku Abubakar of PDP had 16 respondents; Rabiu Kwankwaso of NNPP had 14 percent respondents, Omoyele Sowore of AAC, zero percent, others had five percent while undecided had one percent each.

In his words: “Peter Obi has picked up pace in the race since he declared interest to run with the Labour Party as the party’s presidential candidate at its national convention and presidential primary in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, on Monday, 30th of May after other aspirants like former presidential adviser, Professor Pat Utomi; Faduri Joseph and Olubusola Emmanuel-Tella, stepped down.

“With Obi’s emergence, the party received boosts to achieve lasting alliance talks with the New Nigeria People’s Party-NNPP (this alliance is said to have collapsed at the moment) Zenith Labour Party (ZLP); Allied Peoples Movement (APM); National Rescue Movement (NRM); Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), and African Democratic Congress (ADC), among others before the February2023 presidential race.”

He said the proposed alliance had halted the PDP from dominating the upcoming elections, adding that the PDP was initially seen as the most popular party to win the 2023 presidential election as at December 2021, with 52 percent of respondents indicating the party to win were elections to be held in December 2021.

“When asked whom they will vote for, 28 percent of respondents leaned towards voting for the PDP. However, findings show that 45 percent of respondents were undecided and did not know which party they would lean towards voting for as at December 202,” MTI boss said.

According to the agency, ever since the loss of the party’s presidential ticket in May 2022 and being overlooked as the running mate of the flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar, governors of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike and four other PDP governors (popularly known as the G5 governors) have constituted themselves into an opposition within the PDP.

“It is believed that these G5 governors- Nyesom Wike, Seyi Makinde; Samuel Ortom; Okezie Ikpeazu; and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi- discreetly withdrew their support for Atiku Abubakar and this could be one factor to explain the drastic fall in support for the PDP. This has also contributed to Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Peter Obi gaining more grounds in the upcoming presidential election race.”

Still on the outcome of the recent opinion survey, Ebhomenye said that Nigerians advised the incoming president to tackle the problem of insecurity, collapsed economy, unemployment among others.

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Captions:

L-R: Founder Market Trends Group, J.O. Ebhomenye; Data Lead, Ouadri Lawal; Executive Director, Victor Ebhomenye; Research Executive, Chizoba Imo, and Research Executive, Odili Arinze during a press briefing on opinion poll by Market Trends International on who Nigerians are likely to vote in the next 2023 presidential election, held in Lagos.