The people’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara has been tipped to win governorship election billed to hold on Saturday.
In a statewide opinion poll conducted by the ANAP Foundation in collaboration with NOIPolls Limited, PDP’s Fubara is the most likely candidate to succeed Governor Nyesom Wike as governor, in the March 11 election.
“This is likely due to the fact that the PDP is the most popular political party in the state and the current governor is a member of the party. As such, the PDP is likely to maintain its hold on the state and Fubara is the most likely candidate to win the governorship race, Anap Foundation President and Founder, Atedo N.A Peterside said.
He said according to the report, Fubara’s lead over the other candidates is a clear indicator that the people of Rivers State are ready to sustain Wike’s leadership momentum.
“This is because Fubara’s campaign mantra hinges on continuity and consolidation of the work of the Wike-led administration.
The primary objective of the poll was to gauge the opinions of voters in the state on the likely pattern of voting in the governorship election and the key issues that will influence their voting decision.
The results showed a significant lead for Fubara with 20% of voters proposing to vote for him if the governorship elections were to be conducted today, and 11% proposing to vote for Senator Magnus of the SDP who came in second place.
This is also likely due to Fubara’s strong presence in the media and his promises of economic growth and job creation for the state. Additionally, he has been vocal in his support for local businesses, which has resonated with a large portion of the electorate,” he said
He added: “According to the new poll
Tonye Patrick Cole (APC) was third with 10% and Chief Dumo Owukori Lulu-Briggs was fourth, with 6% of voters proposing to vote for him. Fubara’s 9% point lead at this stage is significant but not sufficient to separate him from a pack of candidates scoring 11%, 10%, 6%, etc. This is a severely fragmented race.
Undecided voters and those who prefer not to reveal their preferred candidate add up to a whopping 23% and 24% respectively.
With this, it is clear that the Opobo town-born politician has a good standing and has a high chance to take over the seat of power in Rivers State from the current occupant.
Additionally, the people of Opobo are likely to support a local candidate, giving the politician a strong support base.”