A recent pre-election poll conducted by the African Polling Institute (API) indicates that Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, is leading in the upcoming Edo State governorship election.
The survey, which sampled 2,678 respondents across the state’s 18 local government areas, shows Ighodalo with 43% support, followed by Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at 20%, and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party at 9%. However, a significant 28% of respondents remain undecided.
API, an independent, non-profit research think-tank, conducted the poll through telephone interviews with randomly selected phone-owning Nigerians aged 18 and above. The respondents were distributed across all local government areas in Edo State.
Demographic details of the poll reveal a balanced gender representation, with 51% male and 49% female respondents. Age distribution shows 19% aged 18-34, 71% aged 35-60, and 10% aged 60 and above.
The poll identified key factors influencing voter decisions, including competence, personality, experience, track record, political party affiliation, and policy stances.
For Ighodalo, respondents cited his capacity and qualifications (30%), economic experience (24%), and policy plans (15%) as primary reasons for support. Okpebholo’s support stemmed from his party affiliation (30%), local roots (25%), and senatorial position (19%). Akpata’s backers mentioned his party (30%), association with the “Obedient” movement (27%), and youth appeal (24%).
Despite these findings, it’s crucial to note the poll’s limitations.
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The sample size of 2,678 represents only 0.10% of Edo State’s 2,629,025 registered voters, as per INEC’s updated register. This small sample relative to the total voter population suggests the results may not be statistically significant for predicting the election outcome accurately.
The Edo State governorship election is scheduled to take place in less than a month, with voters set to decide the state’s leadership for the next four years.
