* Poll is dubious, Tinubu’s camp reacts
An opinion poll conducted by NOI polls has shown that if the presidential election is held today, Peter Obi of the Labour Party would emerge Nigeria’s next president.
The poll, commissioned by ANAP Foundation, was conducted this month and suggests a three-horse presidential race between Obi, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) came fourth in the poll, and was described as a ‘dark horse’.
“The results showed a significant lead for Mr. Peter Obi with 21% of voters proposing to vote for him if the presidential election were to be conducted today; and 13% each proposing to vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar who are both tied in second place. Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso was a distant fourth with 3% of voters proposing to vote for him,” a statement by ANAP foundation announcing the result of the poll shows.
Surprisingly, Peter Obi has two regions – South East and South South – on lockdown as the poll further reveals that he is sharing North Central and South West with Tinubu in terms of popularity and acceptance.
Atiku is leading in North East and North West zones.
Nigeria will hold its presidential elections in February 2023, and campaigns set to start at the end of September.
However, the APC Presidential Campaign Council said Tinubu is unmoved by the survey.
In fact, the Council, through a statement by its Director of Media and Publicity Bayo Onanuga, described the NOI polls as “dubious”.
According to the council, the NOI polls are not dependable at all.
“We are unperturbed by these dubious and unreliable statistics because our research shows that NOI Polls have been off the mark at critical election periods in recent times,” the statement by Onanuga said.
It further noted, for example, that preparatory to the March 2015 presidential elections, NOI published in October 2014 the results of a “Viability Poll” which used the concepts of Familiarity and Net Favourability Position to survey.
“In the results, NOI claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan has the best overall familiarity rating at 99% and Net Favourability Probability of ±25.
“By contrast, NOI dismissed the then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari as a ‘borderline candidate’ who needed ‘huge public relations’ to shore up his performance.
“But when the Nigerian people went to the polls, who won? The APC candidate and now President, Muhammadu Buhari.
“This is not the only instance when the NOI has turned its political bias in an election period to fraudulent statistics,” the Council stated.