Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and a presidential aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has been tipped as the most preferred candidate in the 2023 among 14 others. An independent poll result has revealed.
The poll was jointly conducted by Nextier, a multi-competency advisory firm, and Data-Tier, a data analytics and digital communications firm.
The organisers of the poll said that the study population consisted of voting-age Nigerians in the country and in the Diaspora, while respondents were chosen randomly from each of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.
Nextier and DataTier said the aim of the poll was to “Guage Nigerians’ preferences for a presidential candidate; to understand the challenges Nigerians would like the next government address promptly, and to decipher to what extent ethnic gender biases would inform the next election.”
Fifteen leading presidential aspirants of the two leading political parties in the country were featured in the poll.
They are Peter Obi, Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, Nyesom Wike, Godwin Emefiele, Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi.
Others are Anyim Pius Anyim, Ogbonnaya Onu, Bukola Saraki, Aminu Tambuwal, Goodluck Jonathan and Abubakar Malami.
The result revealed that almost half of the respondents (46.04 percent) selected Peter Obi as their most preferred candidate for president in 2023.
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Incumbent Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo was second with 27.84 percent, while former Lagos State governor and national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Ahmed Bola Tinubu was third.
According to the result of the poll, none of the other aspirants secured more than 7 percent of the votes.
Obi, who was a running mate to former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar in 2019 presidential election, is among the leading aspirants for the presidential ticket of the PDP.
There are about 16 other aspirants jostling for the party’s ticket. The primary has been fixed for May 28 and 29.
Some of the other aspirants are, Atiku Abubakar; Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal; a United States-based medical doctor, Nwachukwu Anakwenze; Newspaper publisher, Dele Momodu; Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike; Investment banker and economist, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen; former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, a former Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim and a Pharmacist, Sam Ohuabunwa.
Also in the APC, several notable politicians have declared interest in clinching the presidential ticket they are, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State; Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State; former Abia governor and serving senator, Orji Kalu, former Imo governor and senator, Rochas Okorocha and vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Transport Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, among others.
The study further revealed that for the most important qualities desired in the next president the respondents choose knowledgeable (17.89 percent), ability to solve problems (17.39 percent), and capable (16.47 percent).
The poll result stated that for three most preferred vice presidential candidate, the respondents picked Aminu Tambuwal (28.05 percent), Musa Kwankwaso (19.27 percent), and Peter Obi (16.27 percent).
While none of the other candidates secured more than 7 percent of the votes.
According to the organisers, the survey was to understand who is most preferred among the several aspirants who have declared their interest in running for the presidency.
They also seek to understand what Nigerians consider their most important development challenge.
The report, however, stated that the survey responses were skewed to Nigeria’s southern regions, adding that almost half of the respondents (43.04 percent) were from the South East region, while greater than one in four respondents (27.62 percent) were from the South West region.
The South-South region had 13.06 percent of the respondents.
It added that the North East ranked the lowest at three percent, followed by the North West at six percent. The North Central region delivered only 8 percent of the total responses.
