ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), says a new poll has favoured the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu to win the 25 February, 2023 presidential election.
The rights group which conducted the poll, revealed that it was based on information obtained in January, from 19,365 people.
The 17 states the poll predicted a win for Tinubu are: Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ekiti, Cross River, Kwara, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna, Zamfara, Jigawa, Borno, Yobe, and Gombe.
The poll also indicated that Tinubu will secure at least 25 per cent of votes in the following states — Imo, Ebonyi, Edo, Benue, Plateau, FCT, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Adamawa, Bauchi, and Taraba.
Aside from Tinubu, others considered to be leading candidates include: Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP), and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos on Wednesday, Taiwo Adeleye, secretary-general of the NHRC, said 7,940 (41 per cent) of the people interviewed in the 774 LGAs of the 36 States and the federal capital territory (FCT) preferred Tinubu.
The Secretary-General also said 5,035 (26 per cent) preferred Abubakar; 4,067 (21 per cent) supported Obi, and 1,743 (9 per cent) rooted for Kwankwaso.
“The NHRC poll revealed that the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, holds a magnificent lead and is on course to win the 2023 general election,” Adeleye said.
“The poll also confirms a two-horse race for the second position between Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP came a distant fourth, as all other contestants together scored an insignificant total.”
The poll predicted a victory for Atiku Abubakar in seven States listed as Adamawa, Taraba, Sokoto, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Delta, while Kwankwaso is expected to win only in his home state of Kano, and for Obi, he is expected to win in Anambra, Enugu, Imo, Ebonyi, Abia, Benue, and Rivers.
The NHRC listed Tinubu’s advantage to include his Islamic background, as well as support from APC governors.
“He holds a slight advantage in Kaduna where Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar are jostling for the second position.
“Muslim men and women of Yoruba extract favour his candidacy while he also has the backing of the majority of Muslims in the north.
“It is expected that he comfortably leads in Cross River state as a result of the broad-based voter support the Cross River state governor has within this state.
“He has considerable support in states where the incumbent governor is a member of the APC,” Adeleye said.