Obi leads Tinubu, Atiku in new opinion poll released by Bloomberg

The Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, is the top choice to become the next president of Nigeria, according to a new opinion poll.

A clear majority of respondents said they intend to vote for Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State, in the presidential election scheduled for February 2023.

The results of the survey conducted for Bloomberg News by Premise Data Corp. were published on Wednesday, just as the official campaign to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari kicked off.

Bloomberg reports that of the 92% of participants who said they have decided how to vote, 72% named Obi as their first choice. Of those who are still unsure, 45% said the 61-year-old is their preferred candidate.

Premise Data Corp, with headquarters in San Francisco, California, United States surveyed 3,973 Nigerians from September 5 – 20. Respondents to the app-based poll were selected from quotas developed by age, gender and location across the country’s six geopolitical zones. Results were then weighted against the original quotas to ensure national representation. About 44% of Nigerians own smartphones, according to the Alliance for Affordable Internet.

READ: 2023 Presidential Election: Nationwide poll puts Obi ahead Tinubu, Atiku

The candidates of the two parties that have ruled Nigeria since the restoration of democracy in 1999 fared less well. Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) garnered 16% of decided voters and 23% of those yet to make up their minds. Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) tallied 9% and 17%, respectively.

A former two-term governor of the southeastern Anambra state, Obi is running on the ticket of the Labour Party, which won a single seat in the Senate and House of Representatives in the last election in 2019. The APC and PDP dominate both chambers of parliament.

More than 65% named Obi as the candidate best able to improve the economy, tackle corruption and reduce insecurity. Tinubu ranked second on each measure, ahead of Abubakar.

Obi also came out in front in two other opinion polls published since September 15.

Despite the general disenchantment about Nigeria’s trajectory, most respondents said that they trust the election to be run fairly and think their vote will make a difference – even if almost half expect the polls to be marred by violence – according to the report.