Prof Yemi Osinbajo, clearly the preferred candidate – IFPG

Abiodun OBA

The Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, is the preferred candidate to succeed the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), in 2023.

A nationwide survey carried out by the Intellectual Forum on Politics and Governance, has shown.

A random sample of 12,000 names from the database of registered voters spread across all the geopolitical zones was used to arrive at the result of the IFP&G poll.

The survey, which was carried out in February, asked Nigerians to choose their favourite from among Osinbajo; national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, and former Vice President Abubakar Atiku.

Other politicians who have declared intention to contest for President include former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi; River State Governor, Nyesom Wike; former Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha; Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; former Abia State Governor and Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu; among others.

“Analysis of the results clearly indicated that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was the citizens’ choice as the next President of Nigeria,” IFP&G said.

This was contained in a statement signed by the Deputy Chairman, Prof Nasiru Yauri; Organising Secretary, Prof. Yahaya Baba; and Member, South East, Prof Ike E. Ogba.

The poll showed that Osinbajo emerged as the favourite by polling 42.50 per cent, almost twice as much as 25.51 per cent polled by second place Atiku.

Kwankwaso came third with 18.07 per cent while 13.92 per cent of respondents selected Tinubu as their preferred presidential hopeful.

“It can be argued that if Bola Tinubu was not one of the selected candidates in this survey, the likelihood is that Prof Yemi Osinbajo would have picked up most of the votes, that is the 13.92 per cent who voted for Bola Tinubu, taking him well over the 50% mark which is enough to win any election going by past record of elections in Nigeria,” the group noted.

Osinbajo emerged as the leading candidate in all the geopolitical zones, and also the preferred aspirant by both males and females as shown in the result of the survey.

“Prof Yemi Osinbajo was clearly the preferred candidate for both males and females nationally, with 41.29 per cent of males selecting him as their choice and 46.38 per cent of females selecting him. This can be compared with 15.16 per cent of the male gender selecting Bola Tinubu and 9.95% of the female gender selecting Bola Tinubu as their preferred candidate for president,” the group said.

The Vice President, according to the group, also led in the South-West, South-East and South-South zones, Kwankwaso led in the North-West while Atiku led in the North-East.

Former Minister of Works and National Chairman, Southwest Agenda for Tinubu 2023 Presidential Ambition, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, questioned the credibility of the group behind the survey.

He said, “I have never heard about the group and I don’t know about their track record and experience in terms of carrying out survey of this nature. So, I will not consider their survey nor will I bother about it.

“I want you to go back and check a lot of election surveys in the past and juxtapose them with the ultimate outcome of the elections, you will see a huge disparity between them.

“This particular group, I don’t know who they are. Nigeria is such a country where some people will wake up one day, find a bogus name for themselves and claim to have conducted surveys that nobody can verify.”