Ahead of the forthcoming governorship election, the results of a statewide opinion poll show a significant lead for Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Lagos State.
The poll commissioned by Anap Foundation and conducted by NOI Polls Limited was concluded in February, but before the presidential elections, according to a statement on Monday.
It said 31 percent of voters proposed to vote for him if the governorship election were to be conducted today; 8 percent for Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour (Labour Party) who fell in second place, and Azeez Olajide Adediran, popularly known as ‘Jandor’, (Peoples Democratic Party) was third, with 7 percent of voters proposing to vote for him.
“Governor Sanwo-Olu’s 23 percent-point lead at this stage is significant, as the opposition voters are fragmented and shared between 2 main challengers in the ratio 31:8:7,” the report on the poll said. “Undecided voters and those who prefer not to reveal their preferred candidate add up to a whopping 19 percent and 30 percent respectively. The gender split of undecided voters shows that 24 percent of women are undecided versus 14 percent of male voters.”
The report signed by Atedo Peterside, president of Anap Foundation, said Rhodes-Vivour is clearly the candidate with the greatest momentum.
It said: “The poll shows that the percentage of registered voters in each of the three senatorial districts to be 95 percent in Lagos West and 93 percent each in Lagos East and Lagos Central. Furthermore, almost 8 in 10 registered voters are absolutely certain that they would be voting in the next governorship election.almost 8 in 10 registered voters are absolutely certain that they would be voting in the next governorship election.
“If they stay committed, then we could witness a huge turnout in the 11 March, 2023 Governorship elections.”
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Peterside said: “Whilst this governorship poll result shows some significant trends, it is key to note that it was concluded before the Presidential elections and that the race is still impossible to call, as undecided/swing voters would ultimately have their say on which candidate emerges as Governor of Lagos State.
“In summary, our February 2023 Polls indicate that the race is not completely over, as the undecided voters (19 percent) and those who refused to reveal their preferred candidate (30 percent) are large enough to turn the tables.
“ANAP Foundation notes that the trends in momentum may be further influenced by the recently concluded presidential elections where LP made a strong showing in Lagos. A lot will depend on if there has since been a further surge in Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour’s momentum.”
