Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and a presidential contender on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) platform, has been tipped as the most preferred candidate among 14 others for the 2023 election.
This was revealed in a result of an independent poll.
Nextier, a multi-competency consultancy organization, and Data-Tier, a data analytics and digital communications firm, collaborated on the poll.
According to the poll’s organizers, the sample population consisted of voting-age Nigerians in Nigeria and the Diaspora, with respondents drawn at random from each of the country’s six geographic zones.
The poll’s goal, according to Nextier and DataTier, was to “gauge Nigerians’ choices for a presidential candidate; to identify the difficulties Nigerians want the next government to handle as soon as possible; and to decode to what extent ethnic gender prejudices would impact the next election.”
The poll included fifteen leading presidential candidates from the country’s two major political parties.
They include; Peter Obi, Yemi Osinbajo, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Musa Rabiu Kwankwaso, Nyesom Wike, Godwin Emefiele, Rotimi Amaechi, and Kayode Fayemi.
Anyim Pius Anyim, Ogbonnaya Onu, Bukola Saraki, Aminu Tambuwal, Goodluck Jonathan, and Abubakar Malami are among the other candidates.
Nearly half of the respondents (46.04 percent) chose Peter Obi as their favorite presidential candidate in 2023.
With 27.84 percent, incumbent Vice President Yemi Osinbajo came in second, followed by Ahmed Bola Tinubu, former Lagos State governor and national head of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the poll’s findings, none of the other candidates received more than 7% of the vote.
Obi, who campaigned as a running mate for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2019 presidential election, is one of the PDP’s major presidential candidates.
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 want to know what Nigerians think their biggest development challenge is.
The poll responses, however, were biased to Nigeria’s southern areas, according to the report, with nearly half of the respondents (43.04 percent) from the South East region and more than one in four respondents (27.62 percent) from the South West region.
The responders from the South-South area accounted for 13.06 percent of the total.
It went on to say that the North East had the lowest percentage of 3%, followed by the North West 6%. Only 8% of the total replies came from the North Central region.
